After the Rain
by WolvesCanEatMe
Summary: Embry's twin sister arrives in La Push for the first time and gets more than a family reunion. After a crash course in supernatural monsters, she gets imprinted on. Can her family convince her to stay? Will she accept her new life?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter One:

I glanced around my empty apartment one last time before I grabbed my bags and walked out. I couldn't regret my decision to leave; it was time, and it had been time for a while. There was nothing here that I wanted or would miss except my job, but I knew even small towns could use trained EMTs, so I wasn't leaving it behind forever. I smiled to myself before I walked over to the main office to drop off my keys.

Refunded deposit in hand, all I had to do was run by the bank and grab some cash for the road. I, Cassandra Call, was on my way from what had been my home since before I could remember: San Francisco, California, to La Push, Washington. I know, right? La Push? It was a Quileute Reservation, the place where my parents conceived me, and where I had family still living.

I hadn't known I had a brother, or even where my parents were from until about a month ago. I grew up mostly in and out of the California Department of Human Services "homes" and "foster families." Quite frankly, i,, it was a miracle I lived to be twenty-one, but back to my family and why I was leaving everything to drive to rainy Washington.

I had, of course, received all of my medical records, including my birth certificate, w,,,hen I had turned eighteen and was finally free of the stupid system. I'd honestly never really cared who my parents were; they obviously didn't want me, so I wasn't going to be the weak one and want them. Ha, I was not that tough or uncaring.

I'd received a notice from the state of Washington three weeks and four days ago, which informed me that my birth mother, Meredith Call, had died of a "medicinal overdose" at her residence located in La Push. I wasn't needed for the will reading as everything was going to be inherited by the state to supplement the debts Meredith owed. The formal and emotionless letter got me thinking about my roots though. Honestly, I had always desperately wanted a family: people to love me, accept me, whatever … all that bullshit. So anyway, I dug out my birth certificate and decided to find whatever family I had, while trying to convince myself that rejection for the second time wouldn't be nearly as painful; I'd been through a lot and I was tough girl.

Underneath my given name on my birth certificate, it listed my birth parents: Meredith E. Call and William F. Uley. I had been born at Forks General Hospital, on August 6th, 1989. Fairly easy and simple information to start with; I could do this. According to my web search, there was a Sam and Emily Uley listed as having a residence in La Push. The Clerk and Recorder's Office of Clallam County, Washington, didn't have much to tell me other than La Push was unincorporated. It pays to be nice though, and Martha, the overly-chatty clerk, really wanted to help me when I explained why I needed to know. Needless to say, after she asked everyone in the office, someone advised dear Martha that William Uley was long gone but his son Sam was still living on the reservation. Perfect. After a gushing thank you to Martha, I had a place to start: Sam Uley in La Push.

This brought us to the present; my truck was full of gas and I was on the 505, heading to I-5 and North to Washington and hopefully a happy ending.

The drive to Portland was long; even with my lead foot, i,, ,,t took me almost ten hours. I choked down some grease-ball burger before literally collapsing into my hotel room bed and conked out. I slept solidly until about 7 the next morning, as apparently my wall neighbors liked hot and heavy morning sex. Gross. Their soundtrack of moans and grunts was dulled when I turned on the water for my muchneeded shower. They must have tired during my twenty-minute shower because all was pleasant and quiet when I stepped out.

However, I couldn't for the life of me decide what to wear. What do you wear to meet your family for the first time? I finally compromised on my favorite dark jeans, a solid red three quarter t-shirt, and some short-heeled black boots. Nothing flashy; I still had six hours to drive, and I didn't want to freak anyone out by being too tall. Without shoes, I stood about 5'11, and I wanted to be accepted, not gawked at.

The free hotel breakfast wasn't terrible -dry and tasteless- b- ut not terrible, plus it spurred me to get on the road.

I had never been this far north, but the changes in the scenery were beautiful. Everything was starting to become this lush green, although the sun was disappearing more frequently behind the dense, water-logged clouds. I would miss the beautiful hot sun of California, but the sun was bad for you, right?

The dense forest was always so beautiful to me. You could get lost there, and the quiet was deafening. I loved it! One of my less horrid foster families had taken us kids up to Sequoia National Forest when I was about twelve, and I never got over it. I would dream of wandering in the woods, enjoying the nature, the dark green beauty and, of course, the wildlife -especially the wolves.

Ever since I could remember, I'd had been naturally drawn wolves. There wasn't a more powerful and majestic animal out there. As soon as I had turned eighteen, I'd gotten my first tattoo -a pair of piercing wolf eyes on my lower back- plus a series of paw prints that flowed up my spine to match. Very Native of me, right? I was at least half Quileute, and according to their legends, we'd originally descended from wolves. I always felt like it grounded me; it was a part of me and it showed my ancestry and passion.

I got off the 101 in some town called Forks; it was the last town before La Push. I grabbed a bite to eat at the diner before topping off my truck with gas.

My nerves started to catch up with me, and my lunch burbled in my stomach as I kept glancing at myself in my rearview mirror, waiting to for my mental flip-out. I was usually so cool and calm, but this was going to rock my foundation whatever the outcome. My family would either love me or hate me. My mental pep talk was slow to build my confidence. I was a good person, I wasn't ugly, I was responsible, and none of my tattoos or piercings were visible in this outfit except my ears, but that was common. I looked fine; I looked normal… maybe they would like me.

The "Welcome to La Push" sign was generic and not all that welcoming, but then again no one knew I was coming; maybe I should have called first? Too late now. I practiced what I was going to say over and over, but nothing sounded right. I guess I would just go knock on Sam Uley's door. _Hi! I'm your sister! Mind if I come in?_ God. I hoped it would come out better. What if he wasn't home? Or dead, and this whole thing was for nothing? Crap.

Okay. Focusing back on my map, I realized the internet directions were not entirely accurate. I had passed at least three dirt roads and none of them had signs. Hopefully the turns were at least right; I turned onto the fourth dirt road, attempting to follow my directions without signs. I passed three small houses on the left, and then two other homes on the right, but none of them had legible house numbers. Great.

I glanced at my directions one last time before pitching them onto the passenger seat. Turning my truck around when the street ended at the beach, I started paying attention to the names on the mailboxes. I was almost half way back down toward the main street when a black mailbox with "Uley" painted on it appeared on the side of the road. There was a God! The house wasn't visible from the road, so I turned down the next dirt driveway, praying it belonged to the Uley's.

I found a white two-story house with a huge yard and wrap-around wood porch; it was beautiful. The lack of vehicles or garage worried me though. If no one was home I could come back tomorrow, I guess. Regardless, I took a few deep breaths and parked my truck in the dirt just off the drive. After I looked in the mirror one final time, I got out of my truck.

All my confidence seemed to come back to me the more steps I took toward the front porch of the Uley residence. It felt right. The screen door was open, leading into the house, and I could hear pots and pans banging around in the kitchen. Cinnamon and apples wafted out of the front door -someone was baking. Maybe I did belong to this family; cooking was one of those feminine things I truly enjoyed. I smiled to myself as I stepped up on the porch and knocked on the screen door.

The clanging of pans from inside quieted momentarily, allowing a quiet female voice to call, "Come on in." Oh, okay; this could get awkward really fast. I opened the door slightly but didn't step all the way in.

"Um, Hello?" I called into the house. The living room wasn't huge, but I could see a little into the open kitchen and dining room area. The living room had two couches around an older TV, and what I could see of the house was warm and inviting.

I saw movement in the kitchen before a striking female stuck her head out. She would have been the epitome of model Native American beauty if she hadn't had three huge scars running down the right side of her face. She gave me a half smile as the right side of her mouth remained in a slight frown.

"I'll be right out, give me one sec, okay?" she said before jumping back in the kitchen. I heard the beeping of a timer being set and the stove door being closed, so I stepped just far enough into the living room to close the screen door behind me.

I continued looking around the living room and noticed the stairwell leading upstairs was lined with photographs. I briefly wondered if my dad or brother were looking back at me from any of them. I didn't get a chance to look closer at any of the images because the woman came out of the kitchen wiping her hands on her apron. She was half smiling at me again; I tried not to allow my eyes to linger on the scars that continued down her neck and right arm. I mentally shook myself; we all have scars -some of us just hide them better. I smiled back at her and held out my hand, meeting her deep brown eyes.

"Umm… I'm Cassandra Call, and I was actually looking for Sam and Emily Uley."

She took my hand and shook it gently. "I'm Emily Uley. Sam is my husband. What can I help you with?"

Okay, now the potentially awkward part. "Well, umm…This might sound weird…"

Emily quirked an eyebrow and stepped back, gesturing for us to sit on the couch. "I doubt anything you could say would be too weird for me."

Her genuine smile met her eyes and I relaxed, sitting down to face her. "So, I'm Sam's sister, I think."

Emily's eyes widened slightly, but her smile didn't fade. "Okay. That isn't a huge shock; Sam's dad wasn't the most upstanding husband or father… Do you mind me asking when you were born?"

"No! Of course not! Frankly, you probably know more about my history than I do. I was born August 6th, 1989, over in Forks. I guess my parents put me up for adoption immediately after I was born, and I ended up in California," I said, trying not to ramble further.

"Oh, okay…" Emily paused, her forehead wrinkled like she was deep in thought, "And your mother was…?"

"Meredith Call," I told her, looking into her face as her gaze drifted back up from her lap to meet mine.

"Well that explains a lot," Emily said, giving me another half-smile, her eyes twinkling. "Cassandra, I think Sam is your half-brother, but you'll be surprised to know you have a twin brother, Embry Call. Embry was born on August 6th, 1989 too…but he was never told who his dad was. You have no idea what drama you have just cleared up for us!" Emily stood up from the couch. "Would you like some lemonade? I just made some," she said as she walked into the kitchen.

I closed my mouth, trying to digest what she had just told me. "Umm, sure, Emily. Lemonade sounds great…" I had not one brother, but one and a half. Emily came back from the kitchen several moments later with two tall glasses of lemonade. I took my glass from her, and she must have understood my expression because she answered my unasked question.

"Sam will be home in an hour or so. I can call him and tell him to bring Embry if you're ready to meet them…" Emily trailed off, taking a sip of her drink.

I finally looked back up at her. Of course I wanted to meet them!

"I'm sorry Emily; this is just a lot to take in. I would love to meet them. That's why I'm here." Emily just smiled and nodded, patting my knee before getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

"I'll be right back then," she said, before disappearing around the corner. She returned a second or so later and shrugged her shoulders. "He didn't answer his phone, but I bet Embry will be around for dinner without the invitation. He isn't much of a cook." She winked at me before sitting down again.

"Okay. I can leave and come back later if you want. You sounded like you were busy when I got here…" I trailed off, hopefully not letting this situation get awkward when Emily had done nothing but be overly nice and sweet about everything. I tucked a strand of my hair behind my pierced ear to distract myself.

"Do you want to help? We're having a bonfire tomorrow night, a, ,nd I'm getting as much done early as I can. Sam and his friends eat like a pack of wolves," Emily said, laughing and tugging on my arm as she stood up. "Come on. I should get to know my half sister-in-law anyway!"

The huge grin on my face must have been enough of an answer for her because she dragged me all the way into the kitchen. Emily tossed me an apron and then handed me a huge block of cheddar cheese to grate. All of the awkwardness was gone. Emily was too genuine and friendly for it to creep back in. I wanted to ask her about her scar, but I'd known her all of twenty minutes, so it wasn't quite appropriate.

I grated and Emily talked. She worked part time as a caregiver to an elderly woman in Forks, which fit her well. Sam and his friends were apparently helping rebuild a wing of the school which sustained some water damage from a bad storm a week or so ago. You could tell from her words how much she loved Sam. She was whisking some eggs into a fudge brownie mixture when she glanced up at me and realized I had just been listening.

"So what about you, Cassandra? Do you have a boyfriend or anything?" Emily asked, glancing back down at her batter.

"Call me Cassie." I gave Emily a little smile; she was quickly approaching friend material, even though we had only just met. "I don't have a boyfriend. I haven't really ever found anyone to get really serious with. Too much baggage, I think." I gave Emily a little smirk before coating the pan with some flour for her brownies.

"That surprises me. You're gorgeous!" Emily winked at me before bumping my elbow with hers. "Everyone has baggage, you know." She turned her body slightly toward me and gestured to her face and down the right side of her body before turning to the fridge and pulling out the sour cream and green onions.

I felt my face redden. "Thanks, Emily. You're beautiful too, you know, with or without scars…"

Emily pulled out a cutting board and started cutting up the onions, so I turned to the sink to work on the dishes. She was silent for several minutes, and I hoped I hadn't struck a nerve or hurt her feelings over the scar issue. Her scars didn't bother me, and I wanted her to know that.

"You have been so wonderful today; I was so worried about what today would be like, so thanks."

Emily put her hand briefly on my shoulder and gently squeezed. "Sam can be a bit stand-off-ish sometimes, but I know he will love you. And Embry…he will be ecstatic to see you. It will be fine, don't worry." She started mixing the ingredients for her dip. "Are you in school or anything, Cassie?" Emily asked me as I began stacking the clean dishes.

"Well, not currently. I graduated early from high school and got an associate's degree to be an EMT-paramedic. I worked for the San Francisco Ambulance Service for almost three years prior to coming out here."

Emily had stopped what she was doing and turned to face me. She had a shocked look on her face. "Really? You're a paramedic?"

I laughed at her stunned expression. "Yeah, really. It surprises a lot of people… I love it though, and I hope to get back into it someday."

"Wow, that's awesome!" Emily replied before turning back to her work.

I glanced at the clock over the stove. Crap, we had talked for almost an hour. I opened my mouth to ask her when she thought the guys might be home but the screen door slammed open. Maybe that was them now. Emily just gave me a smile and nod of encouragement.

A loud, deep male voice spoke from the living room, "Hey, Emily, whose truck is that out front?"

Suddenly a huge, half-naked man came around the corner into the kitchen with us, almost walking into me.

"Whoa! Hey there," he said as he looked at me from top to bottom and took a step back. Sam was huge, almost completely filling the opening from the kitchen to the dining room. His jet-black hair was cropped short, and his black eyes flicked between Emily and me before returning to mine. He was only in shorts, and his features were strong and well-formed. Maybe being tall was a family thing.

Emily walked around me to give Sam a hug and kiss on his cheek before she took his hand in hers. Sam's eyes never left mine. My stomach flopped. What if he did hate me?

Emily finally spoke, "Sam, meet Cassandra Call. Cassie stopped by today looking for you."

Damn, she wasn't going to break my news for me. I wiped my hands on my apron before holding my right hand out for Sam to shake.

"It's nice to meet to you, Sam. Emily has been gushing over you all day." I smiled weakly at him as I tried to ease my sudden nerves.

Sam glanced down at Emily, who was smiling serenely up at him. He looked back at me and took my hand, shaking it gently.

"Nice to meet you, Cassie. What did you want to see me about?" Sam asked, as he released my hand and slightly inclined his head toward the front door.

I was attempting to form my answer when the front door opened and yet another huge, half-naked male came in. I would have known we were related even if Emily hadn't already told me, because so many of our features were similar. He was taller than me, probably at least 6'4, but his short dark hair had the same reddish tint to it as mine. His eyes were slightly darker brown than mine but were the same almond shape. He was just as muscular as Sam, but not as bulky, built more like a swimmer than a weight lifter. I guess I came from good genes after all, judging by the physical appearance of my brothers.

I was still staring when Emily spoke up again.

"Embry! Great, we're all here. Why don't you all sit down, and I'll bring out the lasagna." Emily then disappeared back into the kitchen right before the stove timer buzzed.

Both Sam and Embry were staring at me now. Sam glanced at Embry and then back to me quickly as a look of recognition seemed to pass over his face. I sat in the nearest dining room chair as both Embry and Sam sat on the other side of the table, leaving a chair between them.

Embry finally spoke, looking from Sam to me, "Umm… What the hell is going on? Who are you?" His forehead was slightly wrinkled as he stared at me.

Sam spoke before I could; his deep voice was calm, collected, and seemed to portray a control I wish I had. "Embry this is Cassandra Call. Cassie, this is Embry and I have a feeling you might need to talk to him too, right?"

I broke my gaze from Embry's penetrating one and met Sam's. His black eyes had softened, and he was giving me a small smile. The strength in Sam's voice calmed my nerves, slightly. I gave him a timid smile and nodded.

"This is kind of hard to just say, so… I'm-your-sister," I just blurted out and then looked at the table, studying its worn surface in detail. I was such a coward.

"What?" Embry practically yelled, so I brought my gaze back to his wide, searching eyes and took a deep breath.

"Well, to clarify… after talking to Emily," I went on hurriedly as Emily set down a steaming pan of lasagna and a basket of garlic bread, "I'm Sam's half-sister, and… your twin sister. My mother was Meredith call and my dad was William Uley, and I was born August 6, 1989." I saw Sam look at Emily out of the corner of my eye as I watched my twin's face. Emily had brought in drinks for all of us before she sat next to Sam.

Embry blinked several times before his whole face seemed to light up.

"Well, no, shit!" he said, a huge grin had spread across his face before he jumped up, knocking over his chair. Embry was suddenly behind me grabbing me out of my chair into a bone-crushing hug. I tentatively hugged him back, as he chanted, "I have a twin sister, I have a twin sister." Embry's bare chest was radiating heat almost as if he was fighting a fever or something, but that thought escaped my brain as he twirled me around in a circle, nearly making me ill.

"I know. It's pretty hard to believe," I said into his ear as my feet continued to dangle above the floor.

My face hurt from smiling when Embry finally put me down. He then proceeded to walk in a circle around me, taking in my appearance.

I blushed when he finally spoke, "Damn. I have a smoking HOT twin sister; the hotness must be from mom's side, because Sam didn't get any!"

Embry winked at me before giving me another bone-squeezing hug and up-righting his chair so he could sit back down.

Emily laughed, kissing Sam before turning to grin at me. Sam had a small half-smile on his face as I returned to my seat. Sam didn't strike me as the type to ever really grin anyway, but at least they didn't hate me. Emily had been right! They weren't creepy or scary and didn't appear to be evil or anything really abnormal besides huge, half-naked and really good-looking. Maybe I would get a chance at having a normal family after all.

Embry had already piled lasagna and bread on his plate to overflowing, and Sam was in the process of doing the same. I guessed when you were an insanely huge, built Quileute guy, you didn't worry about calories. I loaded my own plate after Emily, and I was surprised at how hungry I was considering the ups and downs of my day. Maybe the guy's appetites were brushing off on me.

I had just put a bite of Emily's delicious lasagna into my mouth when Emily spoke. "Cassie was telling me right before you came home, Sam, that she is a certified paramedic. She has her degree and everything. Isn't that interesting?" Emily winked at me before bringing a fork full of food up to her mouth.

"Wow, that is really badass! Where are you from anyway?" Embry's response was loud but garbled because of his overly full mouth. Sam rolled his eyes at Embry, but looked at me for my answer.

"I was adopted into California actually, right after we were born. I grew up in the San Francisco area." I snagged another bite of my dinner; I had been kind of expecting these sorts of questions at some point today.

Sam spoke up next, "You said you were adopted, so do you have a family back in California then?"

I gathered my next bite onto my fork before I answered. "No, not really. My adoptive parents were killed in a car accident when I was ten. So, I was raised in group homes and foster care after that."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I can't imagine what that would have been like, to lose your parents so young." Emily said, giving me a sympathetic look. I just gave her a small shrug, now wasn't the time to discuss my past drama.

"What about you guys? What do you do to pay the bills and stuff?" I asked, mostly looking at Embry because Emily had told me a little about Sam.

Embry swallowed a huge bite to empty his mouth before he spoke, "I co-own a mechanic shop with two of my other friends here on the Rez. Plus, Sam and I, and most of our friends, work a security gig in the area too."

Emily seemed to choke slightly on her food, which caused Sam to lightly pat her on the back while he glared at Embry.

"What kind of security do you work? I can't image there are a whole lot of issues up here," I said, taking a sip of my lemonade.

Sam spoke, cutting off Embry, "The security we do is more of a preemptive patrol. Keeping it that much quieter around here. It's just a group of us that try and maintain the peace."

Embry was looking at his plate, but he added, "Drugs and alcohol are big problems up here. Plus, we get a lot of weirdo freaks passing through the area."

Before I could ask anything more, Emily spoke up. "So, Cassie, how long are you planning on staying?"

I finished chewing and swallowed. "Umm, I'm not really sure. I tied up all my loose ends in Cali before coming up here. I honestly haven't given it much thought because I had no idea what to expect out of today. I would love to stay for a while, but we will see how things go." It may have been stupid to admit that, but what the hell. If everything went to crap here, I would head over to Seattle, or maybe up to Alaska, and try something brand new.

Embry was smiling at me again; Emily appeared to have just elbowed him because she had a small smirk on her face and was a little too intent on her fork full of lasagna.

"If you wanted, Cassie, you could crash with me for a while. I have an extra bedroom and everything… Unless it's too soon, or too weird. My apartment is bug-free, and it beats paying for a hotel."

Embry just invited me to stay with him, no strings, just him trying to be a good brother, right? Either way, it would be a chance to get to know my twin. Or this would be a really bad idea and ruin every positive interaction so far.

"Wow, Embry… Umm thanks. You wouldn't mind? I really don't want to be a bother or anything. Plus, you just met me…" I think my mouth dropped open slightly after I babbled out my answer, but I continued to watch Embry's face for his reaction.

"Even if you turn out to be some psycho crazy twin, I think I can take you." Embry grinned at me and raised his arms over his head to show off his muscles.

Emily and I both laughed, and Sam just snorted and continued eating his dinner.

"Haha, Embry. You have a point there. I would love to stay with you." I scraped the rest of my lasagna onto my fork. The tinkling of silverware continued while everyone ate the last of their dinner. Sam was the first to stand up and grab his plate, disappearing behind me into the kitchen. Embry stood up next, scraping his chair noisily along the wood floor as he let out a huge burp and winked at me. Emily just rolled her eyes at him, as she grabbed the remaining plates and headed to the kitchen. I heard Emily tell Embry to bring me with him to the bonfire tomorrow.

I sat staring blankly at the wood table in front of me. Sam was whispering to Embry, but I couldn't make out what was being said. Snippets like "better be aware" and "phasing" were all I had caught with my strained ears when Emily walked up and put her arm around me.

"Are you doing okay, honey? I can't imagine what is going on in your head right now." Emily gave my shoulder a squeeze and sat down next to me.

"Thanks, Emily, it is just a lot to wrap my brain around. I mean, I have a twin brother, a half-brother, and a half sister-in-law, all in just a few hours. If I stick around I may have a full-on family by tomorrow night." I smiled at her.

Emily beamed at me. "That's the plan, hun! That's totally the plan!"

I laughed a little and felt my smile grow. Today had already been so much better than I thought it would ever be. I wasn't sure if I had ever smiled so much.

"See, I told you everything would go fine, Cassie. Now we just have to talk you into sticking around for a while," Emily said, pushing a mug of hot chocolate over in front of me.

"Like I said, I really haven't given any thought to how long I will stay. I didn't want to make any plans before I knew how today would go." I took a sip of my hot chocolate; it was delicious, with just a hint of cinnamon. "This is delicious, Emily, thanks," I managed to mumble out before I took another drink and burned my tongue.

Emily prattled on about La Push and how wonderful it was to live here, but I couldn't seem to shake the feeling she was only talking in order to distract me. Apparently, it was none of my business to know what was being discussed in the kitchen, and Emily was just too polite to come out and say that.

I tuned out the guys when Emily asked if I wanted to look at the pictures hanging in the living room. Maybe it was a ploy to get me out of earshot of the kitchen, but it worked. Soon Emily was giving me a running commentary of the various images, mostly of Sam and his friends, but there were some of her wedding that I tried to gush over. Being accepted and a part of a family was wonderful; I didn't care how many wedding pictures I had to look at.

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A/N: This is my first attempt at writing FF. Any constructive criticism would be very welcomed and appreciated! Thank you for giving this a chance!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Two:

"So, Sis, you ready to head home?" Embry asked. He had walked up behind me from the kitchen; obviously, he and Sam had finally finished up their super-secret meeting.

"Sure, Embry…" I stood up, leaving Emily with her photo album on the couch.

Sam had moved toward the door and held it open for us. I leaned over and gave Emily a quick hug, before I asked Embry, "Do you want me to just follow you or something?"

Embry finished his half hug with Emily and nodded at Sam before he turned and spoke to me. "I walked here this afternoon, so I can just hop in with you if that's okay?"

"Oh sure. See you guys tomorrow!" I gave a small wave to Sam and Emily before I made my way outside.

My truck lights flashed as I unlocked it and climbed inside. Embry had to throw one more comment over his shoulder before he finally got in the truck. Whatever he had said made Emily laugh and Sam grin.

Once he got in, I started the engine and turned to look at him for directions. He had the weirdest look on his face.

"Embry? How do I get…?" I trailed off, as Embry chuckled under his breath.

"You wouldn't know this was a chick's truck unless you saw the lipstick in the center console!" He snorted and just kept laughing. I missed the joke apparently.

"There's nothing wrong with my truck... I like to keep it nice. I was under the impression that clean was a good thing." Mumbling under my breath, I started backing out of Emily and Sam's driveway.

Embry finally collected himself enough to speak clearly. "Sorry, I just couldn't get over how un-flower-power the inside was and when Metallica came through the speakers… hehe."

His self-control wasn't as strong as I gave him credit for. My truck being clean, un-flowerfied, and playing tasteful tunes was not even remotely hilarious.

I rolled my eyes at him, and mumbled about how hot James Hetfield used to be, which just made Embry laugh even harder. His laughter was contagious, and I soon found myself giggling right along with him.

Embry gave me directions to his apartment, which wasn't really an apartment after all but a fairly new double wide trailer about a half a mile up the road from the Uley's place.

Embry saw the surprise on my face and spoke up. "It not like a California apartment, but 'apartment' sounds better than 'trailer,' don't you think?" He gave me a huge smile and grabbed one of my bags out of the bed of the truck.

After I slung my other bag over my shoulder, I grabbed my purse and locked up my truck. Embry had opened the front door and turned on the porch light, since it was starting to get dark.

His 'apartment' wasn't huge, but it wasn't nearly as small as it looked. The front door opened into the kitchen and living room, which were divided by an island and a few bar stools. There was a huge flat screen TV in the living room and behind it was an entire wall of video games and DVDs. The only furniture was a plaid overstuffed chair and a worn green sofa. A short hallway led to the bathroom and bedrooms.

Embry's bedroom door was closed, but he ushered me into the guest bedroom. It had a king size bed up against one wall, a very basic home gym weight set, and a closet. The only poster on the wall was a topless chick straddling a dirt bike.

I glanced at the porno poster, and then back to Embry. "That's nice."

Embry chewed on his bottom lip as his cheeks flushed crimson. He finally met my eyes, and responded, giving an over exaggerated shrug.

"I didn't know I would be having female company!"

After I tossed my bags up on the bed, I turned around and gave him a hug; I was just giving him a hard time.

"At least she is pretty. I had that calendar in my garage last year; I didn't save the poster out of it though." Embry finally hugged me back.

"You're kidding, right?" His smile came through in his voice.

"Nope, I am a California girl, remember?" I broke our hug to meet his twinkling eyes and give him a wink.

"So, not only is my twin hot, but… she likes girls? Or do you like bikes?" Embry asked as he raised an eyebrow at me.

I rolled my eyes and replied, "I'm not a lesbian. Give me a break. I just happen to appreciate beauty both in people and in motor vehicles."

"Uh-huh…" Embry said, scrutinizing me. "Why are you blushing, then?" Embry asked before turning around and leaving me, standing alone, in my new bedroom.

My cheeks remained warm, as I called after him, "Hey! I went to college you know!"

Embry burst into a fit of laughter from the living room. Ugh, boys. The smile that appeared on my face was genuine. Being able to laugh at yourself, especially to save face in front of others, was a skill I had mastered long ago.

"Do you want a beer, Cassie?" Embry voice carried in from the other room.

"Sure, that sounds great. I'll be right out." Alcohol would hopefully relax me enough, so I would be able to sleep tonight, even after everything that had happened.

I kicked off my boots and pulled my hair out of my ponytail, massaging my scalp in the process. Ungh, why does that always feel so good? Shaking my hair out, I tossed my other bag up on the king-size bed.

It was weird that Embry would have a huge spare bed, but I wasn't going to complain. I'm not the shortest of people. White walls and cream carpet made up the perfectly plain room. The blue comforter was bunched up and had been tossed unceremoniously in the center of the bed. There were sheets, which smelled clean but slightly stale, haphazardly folded next to the comforter. I made the bed and inspected the comforter. There weren't any suspicious stains, so I ran my hands lightly over the fabric to smooth it. After I surveyed my room, I turned and walked out into the living room. Twin-bonding time was about to commence.

Embry had placed a bottle of beer on the kitchen island for me, which I grabbed as I passed. He had sat in the recliner with his feet thrown up on the well used coffee table. Embry gestured for me to have a seat on the couch adjacent to him.

Taking a sip of my beer, I curled up on the couch.

"Why do you have a king sized bed in your spare bedroom? I was expecting a futon." I tucked my feet underneath me as he answered.

"Oh, umm. My friend, Seth, was staying with me for a while, before he got his own place. He just bought another bed when he moved out." Embry took a sip of his beer and his face became serious as he continued to speak, "Why are you here, Casssie? Why now?" His forehead wrinkled a little, and his eyes studied my face, as he waited for my reaction and answer.

What was he really getting at? We were just talking about beds… What had I said? Or was it what I hadn't said? After I had taken a calming breath, I answered simply, "I'm here, because the State notified me that my mother had died."

Embry's lips formed a tight line as his teeth ground together. That wasn't the answer he had been looking for, apparently. My brain raced around as it tried to grasp for the right response.

Lord, I bet he thinks I am here for her money or something, which couldn't be further from the truth. I had to clear the air, before Embry continued down that train of thought.

"Embry, listen. I'm not here for whatever Meredith Call owned when she died. The state's lawyer informed me I didn't need to be present for her will reading because there was no property to divide… I'm here because I have lived the past 11 years without a real family, being passed around like an unwanted, pain-in-the-ass tax deduction. All I have ever wanted was a family, with normal family issues, not the crap I had to deal with growing up." After I had taken a long swig of my beer, I stared back Embry. That was my best answer, pure in simple. Hopefully that was closer to the reply he was looking for.

He blinked at me, before his face broke into a smile that showed off his perfectly straight and white teeth. Embry raised his beer toward me.

"Cheers to that, then. I'm glad we're on the same page. I'm sorry I thought anything else. This is just kinda sudden and a really huge freaking deal. I had no idea I had a sister…I didn't even know Sam was my half-brother, and we've grown up together. You have no idea the insane drama that it clears up around here."

My tongue ring clinked on the rim of my beer bottle as I took another drink. "I heard, Emily outlined some of the 'who's your daddy' drama you have had to deal with. Plus, I'll bet we figure out the whole brother sister interaction soon. I think we're doing pretty well so far, and if we can live together, that will just prove it." I winked at Embry and he got a mischievous look on his face. What now?

"How about we play 20 questions?" Embry asked, taking another drink.

I couldn't have prevented the snort that escaped me. That would be one way to learn things about each other, albeit a little juvenile. I had counted on playing 20 questions today, but not literally.

"Alright, Embry, you can start."

"Okay… umm do you have a boyfriend, or _girlfriend_, or anyone back in California?" Embry asked me, as he took another drink and ran a hand through his hair. Seriously? Of all the questions to ask first.

"Nope, no boyfriend or _girlfriend_." Embry smirked as I continued, "I haven't really found anyone to get that serious about yet." I shrugged my shoulders as I answered. I spared him my spiel about baggage. Sounding pathetic to Emily was one thing, but I wasn't game for a repeat performance.

"What about you?" I asked.

"I just haven't found the right girl so far. I'm enjoying being single right now."

I raised my beer bottle in his direction and took a swig. "Cheers to that, twin… How did you get started with your mechanic shop?"

"Ever since we were kids, Quil, Jake and I were into cars. We re-built a Volkswagen Rabbit with Jake in high school, and it just kinda morphed into us starting our business from there. We all wanted to stay on the Rez, and there isn't much else around as far as mechanic shops. So, we pooled our savings and opened up our own garage. Jake and Quil both took some college business classes but school wasn't my thing. I am more of the customer service type guy." Embry gave me an over exaggerated smile. "Great personality and all, you know."

"Of course," I replied, grinning at him. "That's really cool. It's obviously doing pretty well if you're still open and can afford all of these toys." I gestured to his huge TV and all of his game systems.

"Oh yeah, the nearest shop is in Forks and Dowling's is way overpriced. So, we do pretty well. We had to add on two more bays last year to help with the increased demand. We all wanted to give back to the Rez, and not just add to the list of deadbeats sucking the tribe dry. Jake has an apartment over the shop. I think you will like him, if you stick around long enough to meet him. Quil you will probably meet tomorrow. Other than being slightly irritating sometimes, they are the best friends I could have asked for. If our friendship can last through everything we've been through, that says something."

Embry's eyes glazed over at whatever memories he had been thinking of. He took a long swig of his beer, before he shook himself and plastered a smile back on his face.

"I would like to meet all of your friends. From everything you guys have said, everyone sounds really nice…My back-up plan was just to move to Seattle if our family reunion went to hell. Like I said at dinner, I am just winging this."

Embry was studying me again as he tried to read me. "So…were you planning on sticking around for a while then? Like you might move here? …" He trailed off with his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Maybe…ask me again in a week." A smile had crept onto my face. "You might decide you have had enough of me by then!"

I wasn't planning on saying anything originally. Having just met my family, I didn't want to go and freak them out by camping out in their front yard. My face showed my hope though; I had never been very good at hiding my emotions.

"I bet you will fall in love with this place! And by the end of the week, you will be splitting rent with me!" Embry grinned at me, before finishing his beer.

As he watched me, he twirled the empty bottle on the coffee table with his fingers. Showoff. Although, what little I had seen so far of La Push, just Emily and Sam, everyone seemed really nice and accepting.

"So why did you become a paramedic? I would have pegged you for a model or something." Embry asked me, as he stood up and walked into the kitchen to grab another beer. He walked back in, beers in hand, placing a second beer on the table for me.

"The first time I rode in an ambulance, I knew it was what I wanted to do. It's one of the best jobs on earth, plus I could work and go to school. Once I got into college, it all just fell into place. One of my professors hooked me up with a job right away, and it has been everything I thought it would be. You get to help people, while driving fast and breaking traffic laws." As I talked about my job a smile spread across my face.

"You know, one of my foster parents did get me to do a little modeling, but it just wasn't for me; I never could really get into it. Probably because my foster dad was arrested for child porn just a few weeks after making me model for him. That killed what minor appeal modeling had ever held for me…" I trailed off, because of the shocked look on my twin's face.

Embry apparently inhaled his beer because he started snorting and gagging.

"Are you serious?" he choked out, before hitting his bare chest a few times, which ended his hack-fest.

"Totally serious. I wasn't involved much with his porn scam, and I didn't stay much longer in their care. Thankfully, I never had to testify in court either."

"Wow," Embry said, shaking his head. "I thought Mom was pretty bad, but she never pulled anything close to that. What growing up like for you?"

I uncurled my legs and stretched them out on to the coffee table.

"It could have been a lot worse. I actually was lucky, and until I was ten I had the perfect life. My adoptive parents were wonderful and loving people. After they were killed, I didn't have anyone to take over my care, so the State took over my custody. I never starved and had clothes, but some of the homes took in tons of kids, and we weren't much more than a money maker for them. I ended up taking care of the younger kids a lot; the majority of my foster parents just didn't give a damn about anything other than their check. When my foster parents could afford it and would let me, I tried to do school stuff, like playing soccer and volleyball." I shrugged before continuing, "I got burned a few times, but nothing too horrible. It all just made me a better person, I guess…I wish I could have met our mom though, what was she like?"

Embry slowly blew out the breath he had just taken and sighed.

"Mom wasn't all that great of a person. I could have told you when I was six she was going to die of an overdose. She received money from somewhere though, but it mostly went to pay for her drugs and alcohol. I pretty much lived at Quil's or Jacob's; when I was with their families, I got three meals a day and showed up to school. Mom never talked about our dad, or you for that matter. I probably know you better than I ever did her, and I've known you for a few hours. She was always strung out, or she just wouldn't be around... So, yeah, I'm sorry but there isn't much to tell, and Bill Uley hasn't been seen around here for fifteen years. He didn't take an interest in any of his kids, including Sam." Embry kind of shrugged and gulped down a large swallow of beer. When he was finished, he placed it on the table slightly harder than necessary.

I had figured my parents weren't the most upstanding of people, but it was one thing to think that and another to hear it confirmed. Embry didn't seem like he was all that thrilled to keep talking about it anyway. So, I changed the subject to try and lighten the mood.

"So, Embry, what do you do for fun?"

Embry gave me a lopsided smile; he appreciated the topic change.

"Well… we have some great surfing, whale watching and that sort of crap. Personally, I tend to hang out with my friends. We have parties and bonfires; plus, the normal things, video games, sports… you know, cool stuff."

Embry leaned backward on the recliner and stretched -even sitting his reach was insane. He really was tall. I had a helluva time finding jeans long enough for me and Embry had six inches on me. Maybe that was why he and Sam wore shorts. Embry gave a little grunt before he resettled himself back in the chair.

"What sort of stuff do you enjoy, Cassie?" Embry asked.

"You know, normal girl stuff..." I quirked a half smile at him, "like shopping, cooking, and shoes. I never really got the hang of surfing, but I'm great at laying out on the beach. I'm not half bad at playing video games, either."

My 'playing video games' comment had peaked Embry's interest.

"What kind of video games do you play?" he asked. Embry inclined his head forward, now that we weren't going to talk about shoes and shopping.

"Mostly first person shooter. I love Halo, Left 4 Dead, Modern Warfare…those sorts of games mostly. What can I say? I enjoy massacring aliens, zombies and bad guys." I watched Embry's face at my response; his mouth had dropped open slightly before he caught it and slammed it shut.

"That is _so_ awesome. Next time the pack is over for game night you will have to play with us! I thought Modern Warfare 2 was SWEET, and the Nazi Zombies! You totally can't beat that!" Embry response came out rushed in his excitement. I grinned at him.

"The Russian snow sniper chapter was my favorite. The pack, huh? …Who are they?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow. Embry's eyes widened briefly in surprise, but he recovered and grinned back at me.

"It's the ah…nickname we call ourselves…the group of us that works security around here. We hang out together all the time outside of work and we're all Quileute. As a people we descended from wolves, so it's just a play on that." Embry's explanation made sense, but it was kind of weird. Whatever, a pack of friends, okay, maybe it was like the Native version of a gang and not criminal.

"That's cool. So, will all of your _pack_ be at this bonfire tomorrow, so I can meet them?" I asked as Embry gave a big yawn.

"Most of them, yeah, except for Jacob. He is still out of town. He and Sam are like the pack leaders, so to speak. They both work out the security patrols and Jake is the best mechanic at our shop by far… anyway…" Embry trailed off nervously tugging on his cropped hair. He glanced back at me and continued. "The pack will love you! And not just because you're family, but you're hot and you play video games! You might have to carry a baseball bat just to keep my friends from humping your leg." I rolled my eyes at him in response.

"You might be surprised, Embry, but I have gotten pretty good at taking care of myself. There is a reason I made it out of the system alive, after eight years. Plus, now I have a brother to help keep all the nasty boys away!" Embry winked at me, and flexed his arms, showing off his well-built muscles.

"You're damn right you do! Just let me know and I will kick their ass!"

He put on what I assumed was his mean face, but it just made me giggle. Considering how huge and built he was, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if my twin could whoop some serious ass. If all of his friends were as big as he and Sam, then it would be a very interesting fight.

"So, Cassie, I have to work at the shop tomorrow, but we are going to close up early in time for the bonfire. I'll be home sometime in the afternoon, and I was thinking I might take you around and show you La Push," Embry said, finishing his second beer with a satisfied sigh.

"That sounds great! I'll find something to do in the morning. I saw the beach on my way to Sam and Emily's, so I may just hang out there if the weather is good."

"There isn't a whole lot to do around here that isn't beach related, but you are welcome to anything of mine." Embry said, gesturing around his living room.

"The sheets on that bed are clean, and there are fresh towels and stuff in the bathroom."

I nodded. It would be nice to head to bed before too long; I was exhausted. I attempted to stifle a yawn, but Embry noticed and he gave a larger yawn in return.

"I'm going to jump in the shower really quick, okay? Then it is all yours." Embry gave me one final smile before jumping up, tossing his bottles in the trash, and disappearing down the hall. I got up off the couch and stretched before I grabbed my beers and made my way into the kitchen. After chugging the last of my beer, I tossed my empty bottles in the trash.

I curiously opened the fridge to plan what I could scrounge for breakfast. It was almost completely empty but the carton of eggs felt full and there was a block of cheese in the dairy drawer. There was also some milk and about half a loaf of bread. For a bachelor, my brother at least appeared to eat healthily. Emily must feed him more often than not though, poor dear. Embry and Sam ate a ton of food, judging from the one meal I had witnessed. Maybe, I would get up make breakfast for us and then go for a run. That would fill some of my morning, and then maybe a trip to a grocery store to re-stock my twin's fridge, since I planned to empty it in the morning.

I heard the water running as I walked past the bathroom door and into my room. Surprisingly, there were hangers in the closet, along with a bunch of hardly used sports gear. I moved an old football helmet, hockey stick, and some sort of goal net over with my foot and hung up my clothes. My cell phone shockingly showed no missed calls, as I plugged it into charge. The single text message was from my bank informing me of my current balance. How pathetic can you get, seriously? I had friends, well, more acquaintances than anything, through school and work. Once I had decided to move, all of my "friends" found other things to do with their time, and _he_ didn't have my new number. Oh well, a totally fresh and new start is better, right? Nope, I was just pathetic. I huffed to myself, as I picked out my pajamas and dug out my bag of toiletries.

I had heard the water shut off from the bathroom before Embry emerged a few moments later. He was wrapped only in a towel, and had his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth. He mumbled something about being almost done, which I was only able to decipher because he gestured with his hands as well. Embry dripped water all the way down the hall and to his bedroom where he disappeared. He came out a second later in pajama pants and re-entered the bathroom, where I heard him spit and rinse out his mouth. Embry walked into my room shortly thereafter.

"Sorry about that, I'm not used to having house guests. I figured I had missed the allocated time in our brother-sister relationship, where it was okay to walk around naked." He grinned at me. His hair had dried really quickly; it no longer dripped on the carpet.

"Yeah, I think the walking around naked era in our relationship came and went about 20 years ago. I appreciate your effort, though." I smiled back at him, before I grabbed my bathroom stuff.

Before I could duck into the bathroom, Embry wrapped me in another one of his overly hot hugs.

"Goodnight, sis. I'll see you in the morning." I squeezed him back.

"G'night, bro. Thanks again for letting me stay here." He released me after giving me a final squeeze.

"Of course! You're welcome to stay as long as you like." Embry gave me a quick smile before he turned and disappeared into his bedroom.

The bathroom wasn't huge, but it wasn't as tiny as I thought it would be. This was clearly a guy's bathroom, as the vanity held nothing but a bar of soap, a toothbrush and an open tube of toothpaste. My shower was wonderful. I hadn't thought I was capable of walking the ten steps to crawl into bed. As soon as I had shut off the light and shimmied under the covers, I was out, and I didn't dream.

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AN:

Thanks for reading! I appreciate and cherish all of your time.

*wolfy hugs*


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Three:

I woke up the next morning to the sun barely coming in through the cracks in my blinds. Apparently, I must have slept hard because I hadn't moved an inch all night. I smiled to myself as I got out of bed and stretched. My eyes became level with the naked-girl poster on the wall, and it all flooded back to me. I was in my twin brother's spare bedroom in La Push; I was with my real family. After I gawked at the poster for several minutes, my stomach growled, effectively bringing me back to reality. As euphoric as I was feeling, I sadly was still human and needed breakfast.

I threw on my yoga pants, sports bra and a t-shirt, before I slipped as quietly as I could out of my room and into the kitchen. _Thank God!_ Embry had a coffee maker. Once I got the coffee brewing, I scrambled up the rest of the eggs in the fridge and started them cooking on the stove.

Embry didn't have a cheese grater so I settled for cheese toast instead of cheesy scrambled eggs. My head was buried in the fridge, as I tried in vain to find some sort of fruit or vegetable, when I felt Embry's body heat from behind me.

"What are you looking for in there?" Embry mumbled, before making himself of cup of sugar with some coffee.

He then collapsed on one of the bar stools at the island with a groan. His hair was sticking straight out on one side of his head and he had a very distinct crease across half his face. He was still half-naked but wearing jeans instead of pajama pants. I mentally winced, hoping to God I didn't look nearly as rough as he did.

"Fruit or veggies?" I asked, as I raised an eyebrow at him. He just shook his head, his focus back on his coffee.

"Not a morning person are you, twin?" I asked in the most cheerful voice possible, as I pulled two plates out of the cabinet. Embry gave a grunt, but that was the extent of his response, which made me chuckle under my breath.

I got Embry to smile when I put his plate of food in front of him; his mouth was crammed full before I had even sat down.

"Good morning, by the way." Embry finally spoke, sounding almost awake. He looked at me out of the corner of his eye before he shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth. I smiled at him, after taking a sip of my coffee.

"Good morning, sunshine! I hope you don't mind me pillaging your food stock." I spread my eggs over my cheese toast and took a bite. Yum. Nothing says 'good morning' better than grease mixed with some protein… followed by a good run, of course. Embry swallowed hard to clear his mouth of food.

"You can pillage whatever you want, as long as I get to reap the benefits. This is delicious!"

He had barely finished his statement before he crammed another heaping bite into his mouth. I smiled into my coffee. We finished the rest of breakfast in silence with only an occasional "yummm" or "this is so good" muttered from Embry. I couldn't believe how much he ate! I had cooked seven eggs and four pieces of cheese toast and there was nothing left. At least I had a better idea on how well to stock up at the grocery store. When we had finished, Embry rinsed our plates and set them in the sink.

"Thanks for breakfast, seriously. That was a great way to wake up. I have to head into the shop soon. What are your plans?" he asked, as I drained the last drops out of my coffee mug.

"I'm going out for a run, and then I'll probably head into the store to refill your fridge. If I have a ton of time left I might walk down to the beach or something."

"Okay. There's a spare key under the front mat I'll grab for you to use." Embry dug into his back pocket and proceeded to rifle through his wallet. "If you do go to the store, at least let me split some of the cost. I will be eating a helluva lot more than you." He grinned and threw a $50 bill down on the counter.

"You're letting me stay here; the least I can do is feed you. Plus I love to cook, so you're just allowing me to be happy." My sly smile didn't change his mind.

"Whatever you need to tell yourself, Cassie. Just take the money." Embry pushed the bill closer to me on the counter and then walked towards the bathroom. After I heard the bathroom door close, I snatched the money off the counter with no intention on spending it. I didn't need his money, but it wasn't worth arguing about, so wandered back into my bedroom and dug out a pair of socks and my tennis shoes.

Once my shoes were on, I combed my hair out and threw it back into a loose ponytail. Embry was back in his room, so I took my turn in the bathroom. After washing my face and brushing my teeth, I opened the bathroom door to head out and ran right into the unforgiving chest of my twin. The air whooshed out of my lungs as Embry wrapped me up in a warm hug.

"I knew you would want a hug before I left!" I could hear the smile in his words.

Embry had put on a black work shirt and he was even wearing boots. I had known him for almost twenty-four hours and this was by far the most clothes I had seen him in. As I wrapped my arms around his waist and smiled into his chest he squeezed me once more before releasing me.

"Have a good day then. When will I see you this afternoon?" I asked him as he turned to walk out the door.

"I'll be here around 2:30 or so. Do you know where the grocery store is in Forks?" Embry asked, as he buttoned up a few of his shirt buttons.

"Yeah, I passed it yesterday on my way in." I nodded, before grabbed my hoodie out of my room.

We both walked out the door together. Embry handed me the spare key before he told me to enjoy my morning. He left in his truck, heading away from the beach and waving at me before disappearing from view. I waved back as I finished stretching and took off at a jog toward the beach.

I had passed the Uleys's driveway and could almost see the ocean when I noticed the crunching of gravel coming from behind me. I glanced over my shoulder and about five paces behind me was another jogger. A female runner to be exact and she was scrutinizing the hell out of me. When I met her gaze, her eyes widened briefly, before she elongated her strides until she was running next to me.

She was a few inches taller than I was and gorgeous. Images of Amazon warriors popped into my head. She had beautiful bronze skin that was slightly darker than mine, and her black hair was cropped short but clipped back from her angular face. Her bright purple sports bra and black running shorts matched her running shoes. I wanted to stare at her, but with my luck, I would trip and fall flat on my face. We were running side by side now; she had matched her strides to mine. She wasn't looking at me, so I focused back on the road in front of us.

"Umm… Hi," I said, as I glanced at her again. Random people didn't just come and run with you in California. Was this normal here? Should I be weirded out? She looked decent enough. Purple and black were friendly colors, right? They're also the colors of a bruise. Before I could think any more, the female spoke.

"I'm Leah. I'm a friend of Embry's and Sam's. You must be Cassandra. Sam was telling me about you."

"Oh…Umm…Yeah, hi. That's cool. I just got here, so I'm kinda surprised that people would know who I am." I tried not to sound like a dolt but it was strange people would already know me. Crap. I had been here one night.

"We're a close-knit community, and you're big news around here. Plus, I worked with Sam last night, and you do look a lot like Embry." Leah rationalized for me.

"Yeah, umm... we're twins apparently. So, Leah, you work security with Sam and Embry?" I asked, as I attempted to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I finally pulled it through my industrial piercing to keep it in place; sometimes piercings were helpful. Leah watched me out of the corner of her eye.

"Something like that, yeah."

When we reached the beach, I followed Leah who had veered off left from the parking lot. The sand apparently wasn't as rocky in this direction.

The burn in my legs lessened as my breathing evened out. I had loved to run on the beach back home. Inhaling the sea breeze, I let the salt burn my nostrils. The ocean was a beautiful contrast to the deep green forest beside us.

Leah didn't appear to be sweating or even breathing hard. Maybe she was an Amazon after all. My breathing seemed really loud in my ears; it made me self-conscious.

We ran in silence for another few minutes before I spoke up. I was getting ready to turn back.

"I think I am about ready to turn around, Leah. It was nice meeting you," I said, slowing my pace.

Leah slowed too and turned around next to me so we ran back the way we had come. She had a small smile on her face.

"You're in pretty good shape," she said, as she cut her eyes over to me.

I couldn't help but laugh. "If you consider sweating profusely and gasping for air, in good shape…Come on, you're not even sweating! We must have run a mile already..." My whining trailed off, as I had to inhale a huge breath.

"I'm really big into running. It gives me time to think and escape from reality… So Cassandra, are you coming to the bonfire tonight?" Leah asked, keeping her pace matched to mine.

"Yeah, I think Embry wants to show me off to all of his friends." Did that sound stuck up? I meant show me off like a new toy, not like I am something to show off…Shit…

"I bet he does. You'd better bring a bat. You will have to fight to keep all the horn dogs at bay."

"That's what Embry said. I don't want to make a big scene; I just want to meet the pack. He speaks so highly of them." If I had wanted to start my life over I was going to have to meet new people. It had always been a bonus that everyone thought I was a pretty face, but looks can only get you so far. Whatever. Leah's snort brought me out of my train of thought.

"The pack, huh?" Leah said, with an almost bitter tone in her voice.

"That's what Embry called his friends…I didn't mean to offend you or anything." I said, as I tried to fix whatever faux pas I had inadvertently stumbled into. Leah laughed at my statement, and when she spoke all the bitterness was gone.

"Oh no, you're fine. That's what we are; it's just funny to hear someone else call us that." Whew. Good.

"Are you going to the bonfire?" I asked, as we crossed the beach parking lot and got back on the dirt road.

"Yeah. I'll be there with the rest of the _pack_. Be sure to bring your game face; the guys are a bunch of idiots," Leah said. We had slowed our pace to jog once we got past the Uleys's driveway.

What was Leah's deal with Embry calling their group of friends a pack? He had made it sound like they all referred to themselves as a pack. Oh well. It didn't really matter.

I thanked Leah for the heads-up, and we continued to jog in silence for a few more seconds before Leah spoke.

"It was nice meeting you, Cassandra. I'll see you tonight." She veered off onto a driveway, which led off the road.

"Call me Cassie, Leah. It was nice meeting you too," I called after her.

As soon as she was out of sight, I allowed my breath to come out in haggard gasps. I wasn't used to chatting and running and it had given me a horrible side cramp.

It amused me how everyone was being so friendly. I had expected the worst, so this overly nice welcome was just strange. I wasn't going to complain. It was really nice, just the opposite of what I was expecting, but then again I had never been in an area with the small town mentality. Being the big news on the Rez shouldn't have surprised me.

Finally, I had reached Embry's driveway, so I slowed to a walk.

I let myself in and stretched while I chugged a glass of water before climbing into the shower. Once my hair was washed, I lightly blow dried it. I counted on the moist climate to help it dry curly, so I didn't have to do anything more to it before the bonfire. Once dressed, I headed back out the door.

* * *

The grocery store I had seen the previous day hadn't looked all that impressive, but I was positive it would work. During the drive, I couldn't help but think how wonderfully perfect this place would be if the sun would only shine.

It wasn't exactly raining, more like misting, and misting just enough that I had to turn on my windshield wipers. The clouds had thickened since my run and were sitting on top of the trees. If I hadn't been in such a positive mood, the weather might have dampened my spirits.

The grocery store in Forks was exactly like I had pictured it. Adequate. It was maybe half the size of the store I had frequented back home, but all of the shelves were nicely stocked and they had a good selection of meat and produce. I was picking out apples when the guy who had been stalking me throughout the store finally worked up enough courage to speak to me.

"Excuse me?" A slightly nasal male voice asked over my shoulder.

I bagged my apples and placed them in my cart before I turned to face him. He was exactly like I had pictured him. He was just a few inches shorter than I was with brown hair and clearly fake blonde highlights. His cheese-ball hair accentuated his watery blue eyes nicely. Maybe he had allergies. With any sort of personal confidence or some pleasant facial features, he would have been somewhat attractive. His eyes had widened as I turned to face him. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting me to turn around.

"Can I help you?" I asked, as I tried to sound polite even though his eyes raked my body, lingering too long on my chest. After several seconds of struggling, he managed to tear his eyes upward and was able to finally meet my gaze.

"You're new around here… So, I just wanted to introduce myself." He wiped his hand on his jeans before holding it out to me. "I'm Mike. Mike Newton. My parents own the sporting goods store next door."

I secretly prayed he had only been wiping the sweat off his hand before I gently shook it.

"I'm Cassandra." After I readjusted my apples in my cart, I got the Purell out of my purse and proceeded to squirt a huge glob on my hands and rub it in. Mike seemed oblivious to my rude behavior. He was staring at my chest again. _For the love of God!_ I wasn't even wearing a low cut shirt. I crossed my arms over my chest as he opened and closed his mouth several times - nothing intelligible came out.

"Excuse me, Mike. I need to finish my shopping." I bumped my cart lightly into his, since he was blocking the aisle. Mike mumbled something as he proceeded to back his cart out of my way. Creep.

I hurriedly grabbed the rest of my groceries and approached the checkout. I looked both ways down the center aisle -the coast looked clear- so I jumped in line at the register directly in front of the exit. Still no sign of Mike, so I picked up an _InStyle_ and started flipping through the pages. When I was next up I tossed my magazine on the conveyer with the rest of my food. If Embry had to work, I could use some reading material.

Suddenly, I smelled him. Mike had come up behind me in line; his _Axe_ cologne burned my sensitive nose. The cashier had begun to ring up my groceries as I breathed through my mouth. Mike had been clearing his throat every few seconds since I noticed his presence, but I had been busy battling my fight-or-flight response.

Why couldn't he just take a hint? My brain was screaming at him, _You're not my type! Go away!_ He wasn't getting it. Obtuse moron. I was plotting my escape when I felt his moist hand on my bare arm. _What the… Ewww!_ Mike's slimy hand squeezed my forearm before he let it go. I stared wide-eyed at where his hand had been; I could see the outline of his fingers from the moisture he left behind. My blood was teetering on its boiling point, and my patience was spread beyond thin.

"I've got this for you. It's the least I can do if you are new in town." I heard Mike's nasal voice say.

_Wait, what?_ Finally, I looked up from where he had touched me. The cashier had an apologetic look on her face, as she glanced repeatedly from me to Mike. She eventually took Mike's card from his outstretched hand and rung up my groceries. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Crap! That was $150 worth of food. I couldn't just be a complete bitch now. Ugh. An audible groan had escaped my lips which caused the cashier to mouth 'sorry' to me before she started to ring up Mike's own groceries consisting of hot pockets, beer, and ice cream.

Mike had been talking to me apparently, but the ringing in my ears had drowned him out. After I had taken several steps backward and gathered my grocery bags, I was able to focus on the words coming out of his mouth.

"…I think we should go out sometime, Cassandra. I'm really fun to be around and I would show you a good time. I'm really quite good with my hands, so I am sure I wouldn't disappoint…" He trailed off when he saw my mouth drop open; I had to slam it shut again to keep my gum from falling out onto the floor.

I took a deep breath, inhaling his vile cologne, which only helped to strengthen my resolve.

"Listen, Mike. I really appreciate you buying my groceries. You didn't need to do that, and it was very nice of you, but…" Mike had picked up his own groceries and was waiting to follow me out to the parking lot when he interrupted me.

"I would love to keep buying things for you. If that's what turns you on. I know this really nice Italian place in Port Angeles. Why don't we go tonight? I'll pick you up at seven. Wear a dress and heels; I like women who show off their feminine curves. I'll bet you have a smoking body under that frumpy shirt …" The bastard had interrupted me! _Oh no he didn't!_ Screw not being bitch! He had royally pissed me off, and my shirt wasn't _frumpy_! The warmth in my cheeks and the ringing in my ears had gotten louder. This had gone far enough.

Mike was still talking about the plans for after our date. We were going to over to his "flat" which was apparently _very_ new, and then we would be getting to know each other, intimately. I tossed the groceries into my truck's cab before I turned to confront him.

"Listen Mike. There is some confusion between us. Let me clear it up. I'll not be going out with you tonight. I have plans, and I'll have plans for the rest of my life. Thank you very much for my groceries, but there will never be a _you_ and _me_. Do not harass me again!" I had got in my truck, locked the door and left my parking space before I had calmed myself enough to take a breath. I glanced in my review mirror. Gah! Mike was standing just as he had been –his mouth slightly open– but then he waved. I couldn't help it; I smacked the steering wheel –hard– several times imaging his face. My tires squealed as I pealed out into traffic. I hadn't thought I could have been more clear! _Good grief!_ I fumed most of the way back to La Push. _Unbelievable._

_

* * *

_

I had almost been tempted to take another shower when I got back to Embry's, but I settled for scrubbing my forearms with several disinfectant wipes and soap instead. After putting away the groceries I made myself a ham sandwich. I had eaten half of it and gotten to the article about how to include "army chic" in my everyday wardrobe when Embry walked in. He was shirtless and his boots had been kicked off before I had even turned around to face him.

"How was your morning, Sis?" He asked, as he opened the refrigerator and tossed his shirt in the direction of his room.

"Pretty good. I met Leah out on my run. She seems nice." I replied, as I closed my magazine.

Embry pulled out everything to make himself some sandwiches. He paused in the middle of spreading mustard on his 6 pieces of bread to stare at me.

"You met Leah…and she was nice? Really?" His eyebrow had quirked up as he questioned me.

"Yeah, she ran with me for a while. She was kind of quiet, but she seemed pleasant enough. Why?" I watched him go back to his sandwiches.

"She…well…nice isn't a word usually used to describe Leah." He shrugged. "That's really great if she was nice to you though. She is the bitch of the pack, usually. Thanks for going to the store, by the way."

Oh God, the store, ewww…but I just smiled. "No problem. It is the least I can do to repay you for letting me stay here."

Embry inhaled his three sandwiches and grabbed a soda out of the fridge.

"So, you ready for the grand tour? Quil wants me to swing by the shop so he can meet you. If you're up to it."

"Sure, of course," I said, as I gestured down at my outfit. "Do I, umm…look okay? Or should I change?" Embry quirked his dark eyebrow at me.

"You look great to me. You can change if you want. This is what I am wearing. Do I need to change? Half naked is the style up in these parts." He finished with a glance at my magazine and a grin. I couldn't help but smile back.

"I won't be going half naked. I just want to make a good impression with your friends." I said as Embry grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the door.

"My friends will only be disappointed because you're not half naked! You have nothing to worry about; you look great and they can't wait to meet you. Trust me."

Once we were out of the house, Embry steered me over to his truck, a dark green Ford. The cloth interior smelled like a mixture of pine, oil and dirt. It was very masculine, I guess. Embry turned down the old school rock blaring out of the speakers before he rolled down the windows.

We headed out in the direction he had gone earlier in the day. After we drove for several minutes on the dirt road we came to paved street which appeared to be the main-drag of the Reservation. There was an old-school strip mall which included a small hardware store, a convenience store with a gas station, a liquor store, and a drug store that was advertising fishing bait. Embry's shop was visible long before we got there. It was by far the largest business on the block. The shop had four vehicle bays and a two-story lobby adjacent to the garage structure; I assumed the extra overhead space was Jacob's apartment.

Embry pulled into the parking lot and honked his horn before he shut off his truck's engine and turned to me.

"This is it. Rez Auto, the greatest and best auto mechanic store within 60 miles." He grinned at me before getting out and walking around to open my door for me.

"Wow, Bro, I'm impressed! This looks really nice, and like a lot of work." Embry beamed at my comment brushing his knuckles on his chest, gloating.

"I know. It's awesome." He stuck his arm out to me, so I slung my arm through his and we made our way to the open car bay. "Quil!" Embry yelled, as we entered the garage.

"One sec!" I heard a deep voice yell from the back of the shop.

A few seconds passed before a male, I assumed to be Quil, came out from the rear of the shop. Quil was about as tall as Embry, but he was built more like Sam –except bulkier and with a buzzed haircut. He looked like a football linebacker on steroids. What was in the water around here? Holy crap, all of the guys around here needed to be playing professional contact sports, not working as some security guards! As Quil approached us, I could see his eyes flick between me and Embry before his face broke into a huge grin.

"Holy shit! You weren't kidding, Em!" Quil exclaimed, as he held out his huge hand toward me. I placed my seemingly tiny hand in his and he squeezed it lightly before lifting it to his lips and kissing it.

"It's a great pleasure to meet you, Cassie; Embry's description didn't do you justice." Quil's eyes dropped down my body, which caused Embry to loudly clear his throat. Embry still didn't regain Quil's attention, so he threw his arm around my shoulders which caused me to stumble into his side. Quil barked out a laugh but let go of my hand.

"Take it easy, Em. I'm kidding." He held his hands up in mock surrender, before turning back to me. "So Cassie, how are you enjoying the Rez so far?" I could feel Embry's arm relax on my shoulders. I liked Quil.

"I haven't seen a whole lot of it yet. The beach is beautiful, different from San Francisco's, but I like it. The complete La Push experience is on my itinerary for the rest of the afternoon."

"The 'La Push experience,'" Quil gestured the quotation marks in the air, "will take you about thirty minutes if you go the scenic route –in reverse. Be sure Embry takes you over to the marina. Someone from California can appreciate the beauty that is my new boat." Quil winked at me when Embry rolled his eyes. "You're coming to the bonfire tonight, right?" Quil asked and I nodded. Embry had begun to tow me backwards out of the garage.

Quil chuckled and hollered after me, "See you tonight then! Welcome home, Cassie! It was a pleasure to meet you!"

"Thanks! It was nice to meet you too!" I called over my shoulder when Embry finally released me at his truck. I laughed as I climbed up in it and shut my door. Embry climbed in and huffed, which blew up his bangs.

"I'm going to be in for a long night," he mumbled, as he started his truck and backed out of the parking lot.

"Why? I liked Quil; he seems really great." I glanced at Embry.

"Oh yeah. Quil is very friendly. I'm not even worried about Quil. He isn't in the market for hot-date or a score. My other pack mates…Are you sure you want to go to this damn bonfire?" Embry cut his eyes at me before looking back out toward the road, and I couldn't contain my giggles.

"It's kinda nice having an overprotective brother, but seriously, don't worry so much. If your friends are as cool as you said they are, it will be fine. Worse case you can always hover around me all night at growl threateningly at everyone." I continued to laugh as Embry scowled at the road in front of us.

"I may do just that." I patted his tense arm, and just watched as the beautiful landscape passed my window.

Embry got over whatever protective issues he was wrestling with by the time we got within sight of the Pacific. He relaxed and started his personal narrative history of La Push. Embry would point out various spots and give his personal background on them. He showed me the dirt road where he had first learned to ride his dirt bike. The rocks where he had his first kiss were near the beach and just down the road from the Uley's house.

Embry's narration continued as we drove the coastal road. He very briefly gestured to the four dock marina as we drove by. Quil's new boat looked nice, but I was no expert on boats. The extent of my observation was his boat was white and blue and some of the paint sparkled. Embry didn't care to elaborate on anything else about it.

We pulled off the road at a scenic overlook above Third Beach. Embry pointed out Second beach, the beach Leah and I had run on earlier today. It was separated from us by Teahwhit Head, which was a huge peninsula of sheer cliffs, huge rocks, and connected islands.

Embry and I hiked up the trail that led to the summit of Teahwhit Head. The view from the top was stunning, and we stood looking out over the ocean for several minutes before Embry spoke.

"There was a shipwreck here in the 1940's. All but one of the crew lived. They never found her body, but she presumably drowned. If you come up here at twilight sometimes you'll see her at the base of the cliff still waiting to be rescued." Embry's voice was solemn, but I could see his lips turn up as he fought to control his smile.

"Really? Cool!" I walked right up to the edge and stared down at the insane drop.

I could see the angry breakers crashing against the rocks far below. My twin snagged my rear belt loop and pulled me backwards a few steps.

"I'm not in the mood for cliff jumping today, Sis. The water is a bit too choppy," he said, a smirk on his face and his eyes twinkling.

"You can jump from here?" My mouth dropped open as Embry nodded. I gulped loudly before I continued. "Holy crap! We must be a hundred feet up! You and your freaky huge friends might live after a jump like that but I think I would have to stick with the kiddie ledge."

My eyes were still wide as I stared down at the water. You would have like two seconds of "Oh Shit!" think time before hitting the water from this height.

Embry shrugged and pulled me into his side before he started back down the trail with me in tow.

"We will come and jump sometime, and you can jump from the sissy ledge." He elbowed me gently in the ribs. "There is another ledge about sixty feet up from the water, which would probably be fine for you non-freaky-huge people." I smiled at my twin, the butterflies in my stomach doing summersaults just thinking about it.

"I would really like that."

The sun was apparently going down. I couldn't see it through the cloud cover, but it was noticeably darker by the time we got back to Embry's truck.

The drive to the beach for the bonfire only took a few minutes, but I would have been fine if it had taken thirty. My nerves had started to kick in and I had been attempting to give myself a mental pep talk when Embry broke me out of my thoughts.

"What are you thinking about over there so intently?"

I shifted in my seat and flipped down the passenger visor and glanced at myself in the small-lighted mirror. My hair was still curled nicely and I didn't have anything on my face that wasn't supposed to be there –I looked fine.

"I'm just giving myself a pep talk. I don't want to disappoint anyone." Embry had turned to look at me.

"Seriously, Cassie? No one will be disappointed. They're all just are happy you're here and want to meet you. You have nothing to worry about. I promise! Trust me, okay?"

I was silent for a moment as I let his words sink in. Seriously. I had always been so confident. My confidence was my security blanket. Why the hell was it failing me now? I could do this. Embry had been nothing but honest. I just needed to believe him and be myself. I straightened out my shoulders, which Embry apparently noticed because he chuckled at me.

"That's my girl!"

I gave him a small smile as we pulled up and parked at a beach we had passed earlier in the day. How bad could it be? If the rest of the pack was like my brothers and Leah then I would be fine. I had taken another deep breath before Embry came around and opened my door for me.

* * *

AN: How'd did you like my introduction of a few more of SM characters? I did enjoy playing with them, and I'd love to know what you think *wolfy hugs* Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter Four

The lot and surrounding beach was empty of the tourists and the huge expanse of sand was littered only with the occasional drift wood logs and seaweed. There weren't any other vehicles around so, I assumed we were early. So, in theory, I would have more time to get my nerves under control before I met my twin's _pack _of friends.

After opening my door, Embry waited patiently for me at the front of his truck.

"Welcome to first beach, sis! This is where all of the magic happens." He gestured over his shoulder. "That's James Island. Back in the day, it was a fortress used by our people from invading tribes. Our past chiefs are buried at the summit, so their spirits can still keep watch over us."

I squinted into the fading light and could just make out the dark shapes rising out of the ocean at the far end of the beach.

"Huh; that's cool. I have so much more to learn about our history; it would have been great to have been brought up here. Everyone thought I was Mexican growing up. My foster parents even pulled me out of school for Cinco de Mayo —they thought I should celebrate my heritage."

My last comment got a chuckle out of Embry as he led me further down the beach, away from James Island and toward the unknown.

Embry must have heard them before I did, because he started smiling and quickened his pace; I had to skip a couple times in order to keep up with him. We walked in silence for another few moments before I finally heard the party. The bonfire's flames reflected in the water, giving it a larger-than-life look. There were several dark shapes sitting on driftwood logs facing the fire and others seemed to be lurking just outside the fire light. My stomach soured with every step I took closer to the fire. I didn't know the first thing about being Quileute. How could I ever think this tight knit group of people would accept me?

Embry had slowed his steps to match mine so he could throw his arm over my shoulders.

"Everyone will love you, Cassie," he said, hugging me to his side. He must've been really in tune to me because that was _exactly_ what I needed to hear. I couldn't help the smile that broke across my face as Embry's small, brotherly gesture gave my wavering confidence a jump start.

Everyone stopped what they were doing as we approached. Thankfully, there weren't as many people present as I thought there might be. My overactive imagination had me prepared to meet a small army. Embry had said there were sixteen people that worked in security with him, but there were only nine seemingly-normal people waiting for us. Seemingly-normal meaning, all of the guys were freaky-huge, half-naked, and showing off their perfectly-sculpted-copper torsos. In comparison, the few girls that were present, minus Leah, all looked quite ordinary. Emily was there and I knew she would at least attempt to include me; maybe I could sit by her and the other females.

Embry cleared his throat, which brought me out of my thoughts.

"Everyone, this is Cassandra. Cassie is my twin sister and Sam's half sister, so be super nice to her…or we will kill you." Everyone laughed at his comment, and I allowed my gaze to travel around the group in front of me. Embry began to make introductions and gestured to everyone in turn.

"You know Sam, Emily, and Leah…that's Kim and Rachel next to them…" Sam was holding Emily's hand in his lap and they both smiled at me. Leah winked at me as Kim and Rachel gave little waves in my direction. "Next to the ladies are Paul and Jared…" Paul and Jared were just as large as Sam and Embry, but neither were quite as built as Quil –but it was a marginal difference in size. "Between Jared and Quil is Seth, he's Leah's little brother." I wouldn't have referred to Seth as Leah's _little_ brother; he was just as massive as the rest of the guys.

Seth had just flashed me an enormous smile when Quil winked in my direction and suddenly body slammed Seth, knocking them both into a cloud of sand. Quil had moved so fast I almost missed the collision, but the echoing _whack_ of them colliding must have been heard for miles.

Seth recovered from Quil's sneak attack quickly, and the heap that contained the two men became a jumbled mess of punches, elbows, and swear words. They were moving so quickly I couldn't tell who was winning or if this was even normal behavior so I glanced up at Embry. He was looking at me, so I raised my eyebrow and cut my eyes over at the two guys rolling around in the sand.

"Yeah, umm…that's totally normal. Don't worry about it. They're just trying to impress you." Embry gave my shoulders a squeeze before he released me and wandered over toward Jared and Paul.

After my twin had abandoned me, Emily caught my eye and smiled as she waved me over, so I could come and sit by her. Hopefully, I could just sink into the background and no one would be the wiser. Yeah right, not in this small of a group. Sam had gotten up when I approached so I could take his seat next to Emily. He gave me a genuine smile and my shoulder a quick squeeze before he, too, walked away. When he left I became fair game for the she wolves that surrounded me. Ugh. I absolutely hated my overly-dramatic emotions. I tried to mentally reassure myself that everything would be fine.

Quil and Seth had apparently finished their wrestling match, as they had joined the other guys who were cooking up enormous stacks of food by the fire.

Emily introduced Rachel again, this time as Paul's girlfriend, and Kim as Jared's. Emily, Rachel and Kim all took turns asking me about myself, simple superficial questions, but I appreciated their interest –sincere or not. Leah's face was turned as if she was watching the guys grill and horseplay, but her expression was vacant.

The guys must have cooked fifteen packages of hot dogs, which disappeared quickly. Leah ate at least six by herself. They were good, but I doubted I could have eaten six hotdogs in one sitting, even if my life depended on it.

Out of blue Quil came over and threw himself down into the sand in front of us.

"What's up, ladies?" The only answer he got was several giggles and a few eye rolls. Grinning Quil crossed his arms over his big chest and proceeded to look me over from head to toe.

Leah cleared her throat. "What do you want, Quil? Just spit it out."

Quil flicked his eyes at her before he turned back to me and started to point at my face and count out loud. What was he doing? He could have been counting all my insecurities out loud, for all I could tell. _Gah_. I chewed on my thumb nail anxiously, waiting for him to answer. Quil had counted to 'seven' before he wrinkled his brow and spoke.

"So, Cassie…The guys and I were wondering how many piercings you really have? I'm betting on ten," Quil asked, as he leaned back on his huge arms and shot a smug look over his shoulder at the other males.

One of my eyebrows quirked up and I stole a glance over his shoulder. All the guys were trying to look like they weren't listening for my answer, and I couldn't help the blush that warmed my cheeks. When I laughed, it betrayed me, sounding more nervous than confident.

"Well, Quil, I have fourteen…Is there something wrong with that?" I glanced around at everyone; they were all staring at me. My stomach turned and all I could think about was how to plan my escape or possibly stumble into a sinkhole and die. I didn't want to handle rejection on this large of a scale.

Rachel and Kim's mouths had dropped open, Emily's eyes had gotten substantially wider, and Leah was just smirking at me. I snuck a glance at all the other guys on the other side of the fire, but they weren't looking at me and…wait…were they exchanging money? My gaze caught Quil's twinkling eyes just before he burst into a huge howling fit of laughter. Everyone else joined him, even as they paid up their bets. Embry seemed to be the center of the money exchange; at least we were keeping the money in the family. Maybe my hazing had begun, and that was a good thing, right?

Quil was finally able to collect himself enough to speak. "There's nothing wrong with a bit of metal in your body. Paul has a huge titanium plate in his head."

Paul glared daggers at the back of Quil's head; he didn't come across as the easy-going-chill-type of guy. Quil stood up, dusted the sand off his shorts and saluted me before he jogged back over to the rest of the guys.

Everyone had gone back to their respective conversations except Seth, who was staring slightly-open-mouthed at me. His dark eyes briefly dropped to my chest before they flicked back up to my face. Seth's face reddened with a blush when he noticed I had caught him staring. I'm not sure what possessed me to do it, but I stuck my tongue out at him wiggling my barbell at him. He blinked several times before rubbing his eyes with his fists. My view of Seth was cut off when Embry intentionally moved to stand between us; no more harmless flirting for me, apparently.

Emily was giggling at the exchange between Seth and me, but Rachel and Kim's laughs sounded more forced than genuine. Leah either didn't notice or was choosing not to care about my little exchange with her brother. I probably had encroached on their territory a bit prematurely. _Whoops_.

Emily slung her arm over my shoulder as she continued to laugh, "Cassie, so far you have made quite the first impression." My smile died on my lips._ Well Crap_.

"You're fine, Cassie. They wouldn't have included you if they didn't like you. You're just new and different, and we are trying to figure out how to treat you. That's all." Leah said, giving me an almost sympathetic look.

"I just don't want to screw this up. This is the closest I have come to having a family in a long time," I said, staring into the fire.

"We're as dysfunctional of a family as you can get, Cassie, and like it or not, you're already a part of it. We're just a very tight group, and we are very protective of our men." Rachel said, which surprised me. When I looked up I saw nothing but sincerity in her face, however, I figured I would postpone my flirting. I wasn't going anywhere; maybe Seth would make the first move -if Embry would even let him.

"So anyway…Cassie, which of your piercings hurt the worst? If I wasn't terrified of needles, I would get my ears done." Kim asked in her quiet but sweet voice.

I thought for a moment, biting my lip. After several seconds of thoughtful consideration I went with a safe answer.

"Well...the more sensitive the area is to begin with, the more it hurts. So..." I trailed off as I glanced down at my own chest so the girls could get the hint without the boys eavesdropping.

The responses ranged from "oh," and "oww," and Kim unconsciously rubbed her boob, which got Jared's attention from across the fire. We all burst out laughing, and the conversation came easily after that. We talked about clothes, school, jobs, all of those mundane things, and Emily, Rachel and Kim talked about their men. Occasionally, I would get a question about California or something, but our topics stayed light.

Eventually, the paired couples began to wander off down the beach or into the trees. Leah said goodnight and gave me a one-armed hug. Seth would have come over and said something to me, but he was practically being dragged away by Leah while Embry was gave him a death glare. Our flirting had definitely been put into check by our respective siblings, which was really too bad. I would look forward to getting to know Seth, or any other of the freakishly-hot men my brothers worked with.

The fire was starting to slowly die and Embry and I were left alone. He had come over and sat next to me, and slung his overly warm arm over my shoulders. I leaned into him, trying to capture as much of the heat radiating off him as possible, without the fire it had gotten cold.

"How much money did you win on my behalf, Em?" I asked glancing up at him in time to see him smirk, but he didn't look at me.

"Enough to pay you back for all those groceries you bought."

I couldn't help the groan that escaped my lips at the memory of the grocery store. Embry looked at me questioningly, so I spilled my slightly horrific story –complete with sound effects and gestures. Embry's body was shaking hard with silent laughter by the time I finished my epic tale. I couldn't laugh at my experience yet; it was still grotesquely fresh in my memory. It would have been far more amusing had it happened to someone else. Hopefully, I would never see Mike Newton again.

Embry helped me to my feet, and he doused the rest of the fire. We were walking back towards his truck when he broke the silence.

"So…the next grocery store run is mine; I take it."

"You're damn straight it is! I'm keeping my fingers crossed I didn't get cooties." He smiled at my statement before his face got serious.

"Don't worry about Newton. We will take care of him for you...He won't harass you again." I opened my mouth to say something. Mike didn't need to die for being creepy -he probably couldn't help it –Oh well, poor Mike; I wouldn't be crying over him.

"So, Cassie, what did you think of the pack?" Embry asked as we neared his truck. I waited to answer until we were seated in the cab.

"I liked them a lot, actually. I may need to stick around for awhile."

"Good. I'm glad you liked them. Everyone only had nice things to say. They want you stick around, I think –not nearly as bad as Sam and I do though." Embry watched me out of the corner of his eye as he started his truck and backed out of the dirt lot to take us home.

At this moment, I couldn't think of anything that could get me to leave this behind. Embry and Sam had been nothing short of wonderful, and the rest of their _pack_ of friends had seemed nice enough.

"I would like to stay, Em. This whole 'family thing' would be hard to give up now that I have had a taste of it." I smiled at him, hoping my sincerity showed. It must have, because when he nodded he had a huge grin on his face.

When we pulled up to his house he came around to open my door for me.

"Welcome home, sis. It's really good to have you here."

"Thanks. It's good to be home."

* * *

The next few days passed fairly uneventfully. I would get up, make breakfast for myself and Embry, go for my run, during which Leah would show up, and then I would head home to shower and make lunch. The sandwiches I had brought yesterday to Embry and Quil at their garage had been a huge hit, so I had planned to do the same thing for them today.

However, while on our run, Leah had informed me that I would be going with her to Port Angeles for a shopping trip instead. I needed to pick up some more rain-friendly clothes, and not having a job gave me the time. My calls had yet to be returned about working for the County Hospital's ambulance staff, so my one and only lead was stalled for the time being. There weren't a whole lot of emergency medical services to choose from up here, and apparently, the supervisor, Dr. Cullen, was currently out camping with his family. I wasn't really in any hurry, but would give him another week before I showed up and demanded a job.

I decided to dress to impress, since we were going off of the Rez. My black skinny jeans, lime heels, and green, short sleeve, cashmere sweater was a nice change from the jeans and t-shirts I had been wearing for the past several days. Leah knocked on the door right as I finished straightening my hair.

Leah had dressed up a bit too, and the maroon color of her shirt was beautiful against her dark copper skin. She smiled at me and gave out a low whistle.

"Look out, boys! Here we come."

Some screaming-chick band was blaring as Leah started her Jeep and pulled out of the driveway, and once the un-ladylike screaming had been turned down; it was a rather pleasant drive. We grabbed lunch on the way, and I was reminded that I wasn't in California anymore; the Subway in Forks charged me additional for extra veggies. Seriously?

I had just taken a large bite of my sandwich when Leah cleared her throat from the driver's seat.

"Just so you know, Cassie, I'm not sure I like you… yet. It's great that you're here, and I know Sam and Embry think it's really cool. But I want you to know, I am very protective of my family, which includes the pack. If you're not serious about sticking around, or if you _ever_ hurt any one of my guys, I will tear you apart and you will wish you had never left California. Do I make myself clear?" Leah's tone was menacing and her gaze was hard as she glanced at me before turning back to the road.

I choked down the sandwich in my mouth, which had gone surprisingly dry. The gulp of my soda gave me the precious seconds I needed to form a good answer.

"Tell me how you really feel, Leah. Sheesh. The whole 'welcome wagon' thing you had going on had me fooled." Leah's dark eyes cut over to me and I continued. "I'm glad my brothers have someone who is looking out for them, though. Honestly. I'm really jealous of the family and friends they both have here. I've never really had that.

"Leah, I swear –I'll be sticking around for awhile. I don't plan on hurting anyone, and I can't think of any reason why I would. I'm only human though. Okay?" I stared at her hardened silhouette for several seconds before her expression softened.

"Okay. That's fair. Maybe I do like you…a little bit. Now about the shopping around here…" Leah continued as if she hadn't just threatened dismemberment and we were back to being friends –or _whatever_ we were.

Port Angeles didn't have much in the form of shopping, but Leah knew where to go. We hit up several boutique stores near the touristy downtown area and had some success. Leah and I had similar taste in clothes. Plus, it was nice to share my shopping woes with someone who understood what a pain in the ass it was to be tall and have long legs.

Leah became chattier as the day went on. Being the only single female in her group of friends was rather tedious.

Apparently, Leah had been engaged to Sam once, back in the day, but then Sam had met Emily and called off their wedding. For the life of me I couldn't understand why Leah would have kept hanging around him after that. Sam is my blood and I love him, but what he did to Leah was inexcusable. I didn't care if he did fall madly in love with Emily at first sight, what a horrible thing to do to someone you once loved. Adding insult to injury, Sam would never have met Emily if she hadn't come down to help Leah plan her wedding. _Unbelievable_. That was soap-opera bullshit to the extreme. I thought my love-life drama was bad, but at least I had been able to leave it behind and not have it rubbed in my face every damn day.

Leah seemed to have gotten over it though, and she kept throwing out words like "fate" and "destiny." _Whatever_. That was still a lousy thing to go through. No wonder Leah listened to screaming-girl-power music; her past drama made _me _want to listen to it!

It was almost 6pm by the time we headed back toward La Push, so we stopped at the diner in Forks. Being a good sister, I called Embry so I could bring home dinner for him. Embry was apparently having some of his pack friends over for a Halo tournament before he and Quill had to go in and work a Security patrol. After witnessing how much food my twin and his friends could ingest I added on several orders of wings. I didn't want my nicely stocked fridge cleaned out.

The diner was a typical small town hangout. All of the teenagers congregated by the outdated arcade machines opposite of the old men who huddled, gossiping over their coffee and pie.

An older female waitress came over and took our order, and boy, was she was she surprised at how much food Leah wanted! Leah just smiled and mentioned how she was eating for two, giving me a wink during her explanation.

Once the waitress had walked away, I whispered, "You're not really pregnant are you?"

Leah just laughed. "Of course not, but it's an easy explanation as to why I can eat so much. Trying to explain that I have some bizarre-genetic mutation that gives me a super-high metabolism just takes too long."

"That makes sense. I sure couldn't eat like you and the guys do. I'd have to run four times a day if I did," I said, taking a drink of my tea. The door chimed as someone entered the diner. I wasn't facing the door but I watched as Leah's whole body tensed and her dark gaze morphed into a glare. I'm not usually nosy, but I tried to casually turn and look over my shoulder at the new arrival.

My eyes widened. Just inside the door was one of the most beautiful and well dressed females I had ever seen. She only stood about 5'4," but she held herself with such confidence and poise that she looked taller than she actually was. Her skin was so pale it could have been translucent, and her weird topaz colored eyes looked strange with her long chestnut hair. She smiled as her gaze met mine and she started to walk over to us. A chill crept up my spine; something wasn't right about this woman. As she glided across the floor towards us I turned back to Leah, who looked as though she might be sick. I understood why, as soon as the female stopped next to our table. There was weak but intense sickly sweet aroma emanating from her. The smell reminded me of the decomposing body in the florist shop I had been called to pronounce 'dead,' while working in San Francisco.

"Bella, what can we do for you?" Leah asked through gritted teeth.

The female –Bella– glanced between us before smiling sweetly. She looked at me and held out her tiny hand.

"I don't think we've met. I'm Bella Cullen."

I glanced back at Leah, who was scowling, before giving Bella a small smile and taking her hand.

"I'm Cassandra Call. I just moved here."

Bella's hand felt cold and hard, like she had just pulled it out of a freezer. I tried to discretely breathe through my mouth as Bella's perfume, or whatever the horrible smell came from, permeated the air around us. Bella's eyes had widened slightly.

"Oh! Are you related to Embry? I didn't know he had a sister."

Somehow Bella's sweet smile and genuine interest didn't seem completely real. Bella didn't seem real. She was too perfect, her movements too sure, and her eye color was just bizarre and unnatural looking. Did they even make contacts that color? And how did she know Embry?

"Yeah, umm, I'm his sister. We just found out about each other, actually. That's what made me move here…" Leah cut me off.

"What did you want, Bella? Our food is about to get here, and I don't need you ruining it."

Leah's blatant rudeness seemed slightly out of sorts, even for her. Granted, I obviously didn't know the history between them.

Bella watched Leah carefully as she answered. "I have been trying to get a hold of Jake, but he hasn't returned any of my calls."

"He's been out of town, but he'll be getting back any day now. If it's important, I can have Sam call you. He is the acting…supervisor while Jacob is gone." Leah spit out, not breaking eye contact with Bella.

Bella must have been holding her breath because the long exhale she gave was only followed by a brief inhale through her wrinkled nose.

"Oh, well, okay. It's nothing like that; I just need to speak with Jake. Will you let him know I need to see him?" Bella asked.

"Uh-huh. Will do." Leah nodded before turning back to me in her attempt to end the awkward and forced conversation.

Bella stood there for a few more seconds before turning her big creepy topaz eyes to me.

"Welcome to Washington, Cassandra. It was nice to meet you. Good-bye, Leah."

I watched as she turned smoothly on her heel and practically sashayed out of the diner.

Once the door closed behind her I turned back to Leah, who was scowling as she watched Bella get into her black Aston Martin.

"Bella was kind of creepy-weird in an overly-beautiful way, and holy crap did she smell terrible! I thought I was going to have to excuse myself and make a run for it if she had stuck around much longer. Ugh." I waved my napkin in front of my face in an attempt to disperse the lingering stench.

When the Aston Martin finally pulled out of the parking lot Leah faced me, and she had a weird expression on her face.

"You could smell that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Of course! It was putrid!" I scrunched up my nose.

"That's just strange you can smell it. Very few people can." Leah stared at me for a few more seconds. Then our food arrived and she dug in, apparently forgetting about Bella and the horrible smell. How could anyone not smell that? I was still phantom-smelling it and it was corrupting the taste of my turkey sandwich.

"So, what's the deal with Bella? You didn't seem to like her much…" I trailed off, as Leah looked up from her almost empty plate.

"I don't like her –at all. She brought a bunch of really bad shit into this area and caused a shit-ton of unnecessary drama. All the while she was slowly ripping out Jacob's heart, only to stomp it to bits. She destroyed him for no other reason than she was a selfish and heartless two timing bitch." Leah ground her teeth before she ripped off a huge chunk of her sandwich and shoved it roughly into her mouth.

"Wow. Tell me what you really think, Leah. She seemed pretty familiar with you, and she knew Embry." I wondered if it was a super-secret-security thing, since even during her bitter tirade Leah was overly vague.

Leah had finished her sandwich before she answered.

"Bella stuck her nose where it didn't belong and brought a huge fight to our door that we never should have been involved in. We do our job to protect human life, so we helped her out a few times. This would be a very different area if we hadn't stepped in and saved her stupid ass. She and her family are a bunch of blood-sucking leeches."

"Huh…okay." Was all I managed to say before Leah grabbed the check and hustled us out of the diner.

We talked about everything not related to Bella or her family during the rest of the drive back to La Push. Whatever the deal was, it wasn't really any of my business. Leah talked about her upcoming family reunion down in Westport. She was taking Seth and her mom down there for the weekend and wasn't overly happy about it. Before I knew it, she was dropping me off outside my house.

Even with only a few bags there was no way I could juggle them all and safely open the front door without dumping the food, so I lightly kicked it several times. I could hear the guys and their general commotion from inside but the door remained shut. I was in the process of maneuvering the bags all over to my left arm when the door finally swung open.

My heart stuttered in my chest as I stared unblinking at the guy who had opened the door for me. He was by far most gorgeous man I had ever laid eyes on. He was really tall, at least 6'6" and his bare torso was so sculpted it belonged on display in a Grecian museum. His russet colored skin seemed to glow in the faint illumination of the porch light, and his jean shorts were slung scandalously low on his hips –I could feel my brain begin to fog over. I forcibly dragged my eyes back up to his face, to his beautiful and strong jaw, his perfectly straight nose, and his deep brown, almost onyx black eyes. Oh God. His hair! I wanted to drop my shopping bags just to free my hands so I could run my fingers through his short satiny black hair.

Our eyes met and I swallowed hard as my cheeks flushed scarlet. He had been scrutinizing me just as closely as I had been him.

His eyes widened as he continued to ogle me and I swear I heard him mumble a "wow" as his gaze scoured my body. He seemed to shake himself and then he spoke.

"Do you need some help with those?" He gestured to my bags with his muscular arm.

I had to get a hold of myself, but his deep husky voice was so intensely sexy I felt like my brain was melting out my ears. I forced myself to stare at the door frame next to his beautiful face –I needed to get a grip and fast. Taking a deep breath I gave him my most dazzling smile, and then I dared to open my mouth.

"Oh…umm yeah...I mean yes! That would be nice! Thank you!" _Ugh._ Awesome. Word vomit was exactly what I had been striving for.

He reached for my bags and when he took them from me his overly hot hand brushed against the back of mine and sent a tremor of warmth straight up my arm into my spine. He must have felt it too, because his hand jerked back and he met my startled gaze through his long black lashes. We stood gaping at each other for several seconds before he straightened up and took a step back so I could walk inside. Miraculously, I managed to get inside without tripping over my now jello-filled legs.

Quil and Embry must have been battling to the death because neither one of them even glanced up as we entered the living room. I would be forever grateful. I didn't want to have to explain my blush or sudden lack of coordination. The take-out got deposited on the kitchen bar before I carted the other bag into my room. I could feel _him_ following me; his hot gaze was tangible as it followed my retreating backside.

Embry hollered after us, "Thanks for the dinner, sis! You're awesome! And thanks for helping her carry in her crap, Jake!"

I barely heard my twin because I was now standing in my bedroom with _him_. Jake, Embry had called him; short for Jacob, no doubt. This had to be the one and only Jacob Black. I had heard quite a lot about him, but everything I had known about him seemed to fizzle out of my brain as I stared at him.

Jacob spoke, breaking my trance. "Where do you want these, Cassandra?"

Oh, God. My name coming out of his mouth made my knees weak. It also brought my gaze to his gorgeous full lips. I blinked furiously –I really needed to get a hold of myself. This was just a guy; I had never gotten this spastic around a male before. Ever.

Grasping for my displaced confidence, I finally answered him, and my voice barely trembled.

"You can set them anywhere." I gestured around my room before turning my back briefly to him and tossing the bag I held up onto my bed. Without turning around I continued, "You can call me Cassie, by the way."

My internal monologue of _OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD! GET A GRIP! _didn't seem to be having any influence on my focus or on my spasming heart, so I turned back around. Mistake. Jacob's eyes were smoldering so hot they bored directly into my soul, and he slowly licked his bottom lip like he wanted to eat me. That sounded like a wonderful plan to me. Wait, What? Why didn't I have any control over my brain or motor functions?

Jacob took a step toward me and I could feel the heat radiating off him and washing over my body –it gave me goose bumps. I had decided to just throw myself at him when Embry called out from the living room, and we jumped apart.

"What the hell are you guys doing back there?"

_Oh Crap!_ How long had we been standing back here? I was wracking my brain with something –anything– to say, but Jacob saved me.

"She had a lot of bags, Em! You know girls…" he trailed off giving me a wink. Then in a low voice he directed at me, "Sorry about that… I …umm...would you wanna go for a walk and, y'know…or something with me?"

"God yes!" I said a bit too eagerly, again with the unwanted word spewing. Screw it.

My brain had checked-out long ago. This guy –Jacob–seemed to be the only thing I could clearly focus on. Everything else in the room was blurry, including my old reality. My whole body was screaming at me to get closer to Jacob –to touch him and learn everything about him. He was suddenly all that there was for me. I didn't know what was going on –it was kind of an out of body experience– and quite frankly I didn't care. Whatever it was, it felt amazing. Suddenly, I was optimistic; maybe I could have a happy ending. Every inch of my being hoped that this feeling –this connection– wasn't one sided. I would shrivel-up and die if was.

I admired Jacob's flawlessly sculpted back as I followed him back out into the living room. His ass looked fantastic in the jean shorts he was wearing. I could have looked at his backside for days.

The only change in the living room were the food containers I had left on the counter were now empty and in the trash. Neither my twin nor Quil's eyes left the television screen as we walked back into the living room and toward the exit. Finally, Embry looked over when Jacob opened the front door.

He looked between me and Jacob with his eyebrows raised. Then some sort of realization dawned on my twin and he jumped up from the couch and was standing toe-to-toe with Jacob before I could even blink. I took a step backwards in surprise; Embry look positively deadly. My twin growled threatening at Jacob but before he could force his clinched jaw open to say something, he was interrupted.

"We're going for a walk. We'll back in a while." Jacob's statement came across with unspoken authority and didn't leave room for any negotiation or comment. He had drawn himself up to his full height and appeared to tower over my brother.

Embry's mouth seemed to close all by itself, and he took a step back from Jacob. His eyes were tight as he continued to glare at Jacob.

After Quil had annihilated my brother's video-game character, he looked over at the group of us. The tension was palpable but I watched as Quil's eyes widened and he burst out into a fit of booming laughter. Quil was at Embry's side in an instant and had his huge arm tightly around my twin's painfully tense shoulders –clamping him in place.

I'm positive Embry stared after us as we walked out and Jacob shut the front door behind us. Quil could clearly be heard from outside the house.

"Holy Shit, Dude! I can't believe he imprinted on your sister!" Quil's roaring laughter that followed his statement didn't quite drown out Embry's growls, and the sound of breaking glass echoed from inside of the house before everything went quiet.

* * *

AN: This was a big chapter with more introductions. How'd I do with Bella? Dare I ask how I did with Jake? Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Thanks to PTB, for lending me their betas! I don't like commas, and ellipses...yeah... :P They scare me.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter Five

My steps crunched loudly on the gravel of our driveway as I retreated from the porch. The foreboding silence from within the house had morphed into heated whispers by the time I reached Jacob's side. Whatever drama was going on between my twin and Jacob could be dealt with tomorrow. The only thing I wanted to do was be with Jacob, and I _really_ wanted to touch him.

Jacob had stopped to wait for me at the end of the driveway. His confidence appeared to have deflated since leaving the living room, and his arms hung limp at his sides. I paused when I reached him –not knowing what to do. We hadn't even been introduced, and I had known him all of two minutes, but all I wanted to do was force my hand into his. I was desperate for some sort of physical contact with him. Ugh. What had gotten into me? This was stupid. I was acting like a complete teenager. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath to reorganize my thoughts. It didn't help –Jacob smelled really amazing.

His husky voice eventually pulled me back to reality.

"Cassie? Can I…umm…maybe hold your hand? If you don't mind…" Jacob's mumbled question surprised me, and my eyes shot open. He seemed to be just as unsure. Was he feeling this too?

Without giving a thought to saying no, I slipped my hand into his huge, overly-warm one. My body relaxed immediately; this was where I needed to be. This was right; Jacob was _mine_. Mine? Never in my life had holding hands felt so vital, so crucial to my very existence.

"Are you always this effective in wooing the girls?" My mentally posed question became audible completely unbidden. Once I had a brain to mouth filter, really I did. Ugh.

Jacob gave a little nervous laugh. "Umm, well...this has never actually happened to me…personally… I really had no idea how strong it would be…" He trailed off like he planned on saying more but decided against it. What was he rambling about? Surely a guy as gorgeous as Jacob was used to having girls swoon and lust over him. I was totally swooning over him, and lust was most definitely included in my current emotional predicament. Was he lying to me? Surely, he had women fall all over themselves to get his attention before, there was no way I was the first.

"I find that hard to believe…" I cut myself off. Jacob didn't need to know how attracted I was to him, so a subject change was in order. "Just so you know this isn't like me… I don't usually wander off into the dark with a strange guy."

Granted, Jacob wasn't just some random guy. He was my twin brother's indescribably attractive best friend, but it was very important he know this wasn't the norm for me. I desperately wanted Jacob to like me.

Jacob squeezed my hand gently. "I'm glad you came out here with me." Every ounce of my being agreed with his statement.

The moonlight reflected off Jacob's perfectly straight, white teeth when he gave me a small smile, and I found myself looking at his mouth again. Before I stumbled, I had to yank my eyes back to the road in front of me.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, but it was far from awkward. I found my focus had shifted yet again from my feet to Jacob –his breathing, his footsteps, just _him_. His warmth was spreading up my body from our connected hands, and I found myself attempting to covertly lean towards him. He wasn't oblivious to my movement, and I felt him watching me out of the corner of his eye. My blush was sure to betray me if I caught his gaze, so I forced myself to focus on the approaching sounds of the ocean.

"So… umm… you've been out of town, right? How was your trip?" If I was going to continue to drool over Jacob Black, I should probably attempt to get to know him. Plus, I really wanted to hear him speak again.

"Oh… I, umm… Yeah. I was gone for a few weeks. I had some shit… uh, sorry –stuff … I needed to get figured out, away from here and… yeah. Overall it was fine… I've needed to get out of here for awhile."

Jacob was quiet as we neared the beach, and his answer hung heavy in the air. He apparently had problems like any normal person. Somehow that was comforting; it was one more thing that appealed to me. He wasn't as perfect as he looked, and he was being real and honest.

The sea was beautiful and calm as it gently raked over the sand. The full moon reflected off of the waves, making the gray sand appear almost iridescent.

"Were you running away from drama or do you just not like it here?" Digging out the past and throwing it on the table was a stellar start to a new relationship, right?

I felt Jacob's hand tense. Whoops. Maybe bringing up past drama wasn't the best idea. He surprised me by laughing. It was another thing I could add to the list of things Jacob did to make my knees go weak. His laughter was one of the most beautiful things I'd ever heard.

"You don't beat around the bush do you?" He grinned at me, and I smiled back at him.

"I learned long ago that playing games just wastes a lot of time; we only have one life to live. What you see is what you get with me. Sorry to pry, though. It's none of my business…" I trailed off and looked back out at the ocean as we continued to walk.

"It's a nice change…" Jacob paused as he organized his thoughts. "I was running away from drama. You're right. It was crap I couldn't seem to get rid of otherwise... Had I known you were here waiting for me, I would have come home a lot sooner." He squeezed my hand again before continuing, "You were the perspective I was missing."

Wow. Umm…That wasn't what I had been expecting. I didn't know what to say; I wasn't even sure how to process what he had just said. Jacob sensed my confusion and immediately changed the subject.

"So, Cassie, how do you like La Push?" he asked.

Jacob unconsciously pulled me closer to his warm body as I failed to conceal a shiver. He wrapped his huge arm around my waist and placed his thumb in the front pocket of my jeans. I heard him inhale; he had just sniffed me, and somehow that didn't seem at all weird. I had been savoring Jacob's scent myself –pine, earth, and delicious male. I had never enjoyed breathing through my nose more.

Jacob cleared his throat and bought me out of my thoughts. He had asked me a question.

"Oh. Umm. I really like it here, actually. It's the polar opposite of San Francisco, but that isn't so bad. The ocean and the forest are so beautiful here, I think I could be happy here," I said as I gestured to the water and woods around us.

"Well, that's _really_ good… I mean, I know how happy you've made Embry and Sam by being here. Embry told me you've been hanging out with Leah…"

"Oh yeah. We get along really well. She was actually who I was shopping with today." Jacob's mouth quirked up into a half smile and he raised one of his eyebrows; I guess the image of Leah shopping was amusing to him, and I wondered why.

"That's good. Leah has been stuck hanging out with us guys for a long time. She and Emily used to be close, but they had a falling out," Jacob said as we approached the end of beach.

_A falling out_, I'd bet. The whole Sam fiasco had probably crippled their friendship beyond repair.

A driftwood log lay haphazardly on the beach in front of us, so not wanting to turn around or climb over it, I sat down. Jacob sat next to me and tucked me into his side. He was so warm and perfect; I could comfortably lay my head on his muscled shoulder without giving myself a kink in my neck. That hadn't ever happened before.

"Do you know why your mom put you up for adoption and kept Embry?" Jacob asked quietly after several moments. My heart didn't ache quite as much as it used to thinking about how easily my mother had given me up. Mentally I wasn't as prepared as I had been during the conversations with my brothers; obviously I hadn't planned on telling my life story to a smoking-hot stranger today.

I paused before I answered him. "I didn't know about Embry until recently, but my parents told me Meredith just didn't want the responsibility. If my parents had known she was having twins they would have tried to adopt Em too. I'm not sure exactly how that process worked… Maybe Meredith kept Embry out of guilt because she was giving me up. Maybe she didn't want the sigma, and it sounded like she only told people she was having one kid. Who knows? We can't exactly ask her."

"I could believe that; Meredith wasn't exactly an upstanding citizen. But why did you keep the last name of someone who willingly gave you up?" Jacob asked, and I felt his breath in my hair as he rested his cheek on my head.

"I thought about changing my last name when I turned eighteen. Morgan, which was my adopted parent's last name, is my middle name. It was important to my parents that I knew where I came from, and like it or not, it's a part of who I am. It took me a while to mature enough to appreciate them wanting me to know my heritage," I said as I traced his fingers with mine.

"Cassandra Morgan Call. I could get used to saying that," Jacob whispered into my hair. And boy, would I love to get used to hearing him say that. I had never thought of my name as anything special, but my opinion had suddenly changed solely based on hearing it reverently spoken by a near stranger.

It was wonderful and perfect being there in his arms, watching the ocean. All of the planets were aligned and everything was right in the world. And I'm totally not one to be overly dramatic.

We easily fell into the most natural conversation that I had ever had with a stranger; a stranger with who I was very comfortable snuggled into. Jacob's passion when he talked about his shop and his work was almost tangible. He took his role as a mentor very seriously and was very proud of the new wing of the Rez school he and the pack had been helping to build.

Jacob asked questions like he wanted to learn everything about me tonight; questions about my favorite color, food, and place all the way to my first kiss and my hobbies. I could see why everyone had such nice things to say about him. Jacob's interest made me feel unbelievably special and lucky. It had been a long time since I had felt like that. My brain, which had become marginally clearer, had a hard time as it attempted to grasp why this god-like man would show this amount of interest in me.

We had been sitting in silence for several minutes when Jacob asked, "How much do you know about our people's history and legends, Cassie?"

Jacob's sudden question seemed to come out of left field and caught me off guard. Obviously his train of thought had not been following mine over the last few minutes. My mind had been very focused on the wonderful warmth radiating off Jacob's naked torso and his strong arm wrapped snuggly around me.

"Umm… well, I did some research before showing up, and Embry's told me a few things here and there." I couldn't stifle the huge yawn that followed my statement.

Jacob gently squeezed me and took a deep breath before he spoke again. "Do you know the legend on how our ancestors descended from wolves?"

I just nodded letting my head fall back to rest on his shoulder. Embry had mentioned our ancestors originally settled here as animals, but then the Raven changed them into people so they could live here permanently. My thoughts fizzled out as my eye lids drooped slowly closed. I inhaled deeply through my nose and noted yet again how delicious Jacob smelled. His strong chest rose and fell under my cheek as he took several breaths before continuing.

"Well… it's said that our ancestors were given the ability to change into wolves when necessary to protect our people from our enemies…the Cold Ones –blood drinkers…"

I opened my eyes and blinked. Where was he going with this? "Okaay… like werewolves and vampires?"

"Yeah, exactly. Except our people could change into werewolves whenever their protection was needed not just under a full moon," Jacob answered. Huh, okay. That shot down my theory he was going to tell me a scary werewolf story because we were under the full moon.

"Ummm… okay, that's cool. It would be a pretty neat trick to be able to turn into a wolf at will." Another yawn stifled my giggle. I felt Jacob's body tense briefly next to mine before he cleared his throat quietly and unwrapped his arm from my waist so he could stand up. Jacob's warmth was immediately missed; apparently, I had not noticed the huge drop in temperature.

"Let's get you home, Cassie. It's late." He held his hand out to me; his small smile looked forced onto his beautiful face. Even after I analyzed the last few minutes of our conversation and I couldn't figure what had upset him.

I had no idea how much time had passed, but I was suddenly very tired. The time lapse was made very clear when I did finally stand up. My stiff muscles reaffirmed the fact that I hadn't moved for hours, as they groaned in protest. We began to walk back toward the house, and I shivered violently before he could pull me back against him.

"Aren't you freezing? It's not exactly warm out tonight," I asked through almost chattering teeth, as we reached the parking lot.

"Ah…no … some of us are lucky and got the high metabolism, high body temperature gene; it comes free with the rest of our predestined powers," Jacob said; his voice sounded serious but he winked at me, making me smile.

"Your predestined powers, huh?" I couldn't help it –I rolled my eyes. "I won't complain, so far your high body temperature has been nothing but an asset."

My smile remained plastered on my face as I tucked myself back into his burning hot torso. It's too bad Embry and I couldn't have shared this genetic trait…but then again if we had, I wouldn't be smashed into Jacob's chest right now. It was weird though; everyone I had met so far here had that gene, apparently. Well I guess that wasn't true… none of the girls had it –except Leah. So, maybe it was a pack thing? That made it more bizarre that all of the genetic freaks would work together…Jacob spoke, ripping my thoughts off course.

"Just wait until the summer. You might change your mind about my body temperature," Jacob said, squeezing my body closer to his. I really liked the idea of being with him in the summer; that was a few months from now. My face had begun to hurt, I had smiled so much.

"So, what other powers do you strange pack people have besides you're body temperature and eating habits? Next you'll be telling me you're actually a pack of werewolves!" I said jokingly, but Jacob didn't immediately answer which made me nervous.

I rushed to continue, "I'm just kidding, you know…and I don't really believe the werewolf legends … I mean they're really interesting stories, but stuff like that isn't real…I'm not that gullible…" I trailed off, trying to dig myself out of what ever hole I had just thrown myself into.

Jacob was silent for a few more moments, which allowed all of my self doubt to creep in and take root. What had I said?

He finally spoke, with deep conviction, "Some of our _interesting stories_ have some truth in them, Cassie."

"Right, of course." If believing the old stories was important to Jacob, I would believe them with all my heart. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound condescending… it's my history too." _Please, let this not be a big deal. _I crossed my fingers in my other hand before I looked up at him. Jacob had his panty-dropping grin on again, so I fluttered my eyelashes and gave him what I hoped was a sexy smile. His eyes widened before his smile grew, flashing his perfect teeth, I was completely forgiven for my inadvertent _faux pas_.

We got to my front door far too quickly, and judging from how quiet it was inside, Embry and Quil had already gone in to work. I warred with myself whether to ask Jacob to come inside or not. It was different with Jacob; not that we would _do_ anything, but I didn't want him to leave. The thought of Jacob in my room, plus he was already half naked…

Jacob cleared his throat, which brought me quickly out of my thoughts but not before I had blushed crimson. How embarrassing! He gave me a lopsided smirk, and reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. I shivered as Jacob's fingers gently traced the piercings in the shell of my ear before they fell to my neck. His hand froze, which caused my half lidded eyes to pop open to meet his intense gaze. Jacob's expression was conflicted, confused, like he was waging some silent battle with himself. I watched his Adams apple bob as he swallowed and his eyes drifted slowly, as if he was memorizing every inch of my face, down to my lips. My breath hitched, and my own eyes seemed to travel of their own accord down to his perfectly full lips. I watched as his mouth opened slightly and his pink tongue snuck out and ran over his bottom lip. His warm fingers slowly glided up along my collar bone before they wove their way through the hair at the base of my neck. Jacob pulled me closer to him, and I would have sworn I heard him growl but all rational thought vanished from my head as his warm, soft lips crashed into mine.

It didn't faze me that I was kissing someone I barely knew. All I could think about is how wonderful he tasted, and how warm and strong his body felt pressed completely against mine. Wanting to be closer still, I pressed further into him –a weaker man would have stumbled back with the force of my movement, but Jacob didn't budge an inch. My hands trailed up his muscular back until they reached his hair. His gorgeous short satiny hair. Now I was sure Jacob was growling –I felt his chest rumble against me– and it gave me a brilliant shot of confidence. I traced my tongue over his bottom lip and he granted me full access to his delicious mouth. Oh God! It was heaven! The way he tasted, his extra-warm body, his hair, his hands in _my_ hair –was just WOW. If I had died right then I would have been happy, but as it was, I could feel myself getting lightheaded from lack of oxygen. All life-altering moments have to come to an end –If you have never had a life altering kiss, I would highly recommend it. It was the perfect moment, and I hadn't believed in perfect moments until then.

Jacob gently pulled away and I gasped, filling my lungs with necessary air. He didn't let me step back but hugged me flush against his hard chest; his overly warm body now felt like it was on fire and I desperately wanted to melt into it. My breathing eventually slowed and I just savored the feeling of Jacob's body against my hands as I drug my fingers over his back, shoulders and neck.

"I've never kissed anyone with a tongue ring before," Jacob's husky voice whispered in my ear, sending a wave of electricity down to my toes.

"Did you like it?" I asked shakily.

"Very much so…" Jacob sighed before he carefully pried my body away from his. "Can I see you tomorrow? There are some things you need to know about me, and if you still want to see me … we'll go from there. Okay?" Jacob seemed nervous as he chewed on his lip and refused to meet my eyes.

"Of course! I'm really looking forward to it!" I replied before his words sunk in.

When they finally did, I brought my thumb up to my mouth and chewed on my nail as I thought out loud, "What's wrong? You're not with someone else are you?" I met his gaze with mine, and my stomach lurched; I was terrified to face that kind of rejection again. So many emotions flickered across his face I couldn't catch them all, but then he gave me a half smile. Thank God! Relief flooded into my soul.

"No, I'm not 'with' anyone." Jacob paused and stroked my bottom lip with his thumb, but his tone was still serious. "It's just weird and complicated. Don't worry about it; we'll talk about it tomorrow, okay?" He leaned over to plant a chaste kiss on my lips before he pulled away completely.

"Okay." Was all I could say, as my arms wilted to my sides. Jacob slowly turned and vanished into the woods. I didn't know how long I stood out on the porch staring into the dark, but my involuntary shiver brought me back to reality. After I tore my eyes off the trees, I let myself into the house.

Embry had left me a note on the kitchen counter:

Sis-

I hope you're not freaking out; we're all in this together. If you want, we can talk in the morning.

I _am_ happy for you, you know. Really.

I'll be home around six. –Em

What the blazes was he talking about? What the hell was going on? Seriously, Jacob and I had an awesome few hours, then he gets all weird after talking about the werewolves, and then Embry leaves a cryptic note. Ugh! Men! I crumpled Embry's note and threw it in the trash. The oven's clock caught my attention, and I stared at it blankly as it announced that it was after 1am. No wonder I was exhausted. My shower was a blur and I didn't even remember crawling into bed.

That night I dreamed about full moons, wolves walking on two legs, and Jacob. Jacob was always there but I couldn't even get to him. He was always just out of my grasp. Jacob was talking to me, trying to explain something _really_ important, but I couldn't hear him. The wolves wouldn't stop howling; they were so loud I slammed my hands over my ears.

I sat bolt upright in bed, my hands still over my ears; the last howl had been so close it sounded genuine. I lay perfectly still for several minutes before I heard it again. Somewhere close, a real life wolf howled. My attempt to jump out of bed and get to my window ended abruptly as my legs tangled in the sheets. I flailed helplessly before I crashed loudly into Embry's weight set. _Ow! Mother Fucker! _After slowly disentangling myself, I hobbled to the window, but by the time I opened the blinds, there was nothing to see in the dim morning light but the vague outline of trees.

Damn it. I had been holding my arm gingerly from my run-in with the weights and it suddenly dawned on me it didn't just ache, it had become sticky. Awesome, I was bleeding.

I tried to tip toe to the bathroom so I didn't wake Embry, but his door was still open. That was weird; he was supposed to be home thirty minutes ago. After I entered the bathroom, I shook my head as I surveyed the damaged I had done to myself. The ugly cut was jagged and still dripping blood as I cleaned it. Luckily, I wasn't going to need stitches. Several band aids and a strip of gauze later, I shuffled back into my room.

The minutes dragged as I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling before I finally gave up on going back to sleep. Since I was awake, I figured I might as well be productive. In no time I had thrown on my yoga pants, t-shirt and running shoes, and wandered back into the bathroom. I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and then applied my vanilla-frosting flavored lip gloss. I couldn't help my smirk; I didn't usually put on lip gloss to work out. Jacob was still sleeping, but just in case… My impromptu bandage was still sticking to my arm even though the middle had turned a nice crimson. I'd have to change it when I got back.

I scrawled Embry a quick note, telling him I would be back to make breakfast around 7:30am. He would probably be wiped from whatever the hell was keeping him out past his shift. Embry could appreciate a little sugar before bedtime, maybe I would make cinnamon rolls. I smiled to myself as I safety pinned the key Embry gave me to my pants and headed out.

It seemed unusually foggy that morning; granted I hadn't become completely accustomed to this humidity-filled climate, but this fog seemed really thick, even for here. The moisture was visible as it hung in the trees and began to bead up on my skin as I ran towards the beach.

My side had started to cramp by the time I had reached the parking lot. I had been too preoccupied day dreaming of Jacob to concentrate on my breathing, so I slowed to a walk and locked my arms over my head.

Apparently I had been more oblivious to my surroundings than I thought. The normal soundtrack of the forest and ocean was now muffled by the dense fog, which had only thickened the further I had gotten from home. The eerie silence coupled with the creepy-thick fog seemed to be closing in and caused me to glance nervously around. _Sheesh, was I what, five?_

I could take care of myself. There are no monsters; I was tired and just being stupid. Even still, my pace picked back up to a jog and I turned to head back toward the house.

As I followed my tracks back down the beach, I heard a twig snap off to my right somewhere in what I assumed was the forest. Damn it. I squinted out into the fog, but I couldn't see anything but gray moisture; attempting to force yourself to be calm when you're freaking out was a feat I prided myself in having mastered. After a brief pause to refocus, I picked up my pace, but even my foot prints seemed to have disappeared.

As I took a deep breath to force myself to remain calm, my nose was assaulted with the most horrid sickly-sweet stench. It reeked just like that girl Bella had, but worse and far more potent. My stomach turned; whatever that horrible smell was coming from, it smelled really close. Bile was struggling to escape from my stomach, as I glanced furtively into the impenetrable fog. Why would Bella be here? Maybe she just _really_ needed to talk to Jacob, and had decided to just show up. My brain wasn't buying my own rationalizations, and this was getting weird.

The sand showed no sign of my previous foot prints and I should have already reached the parking.

My wonderfully-colorful imagination kicked into overdrive. Had I just seen movement? The deceptive fog blanketed my senses, practically blinding me. I slowed to a walk –it wasn't productive if I was running in circles, just tiring myself out. After another few paces, I stopped and stood perfectly still; I tried to somehow mentally coerce my sense of direction into functioning so it could point me towards home.

My body seemed to feel it before I was consciously aware of it. Every one of my hairs suddenly stood on end in a vain attempt to prepare me for something I couldn't see. Whatever was out there –was real. My mind screamed at me to run, but that wasn't a rational thought, since I couldn't have seen which way to run. I was going to have to stay and fight. Right. I inhaled more of the reeking stench in my attempt to slow my breathing and heart rate, but I wasn't feeling very brave. How could I when I wasn't sure what I was afraid of?

"I know you're there! Show yourself!" I screamed into the fog, as I willed my voice not to betray me. A low masculine chuckle came from behind me, which caused me to flinch and whirl around, but nothing was there. It was still just me standing on the sand, surrounded by nothing but fog and the smell of sweet rotten decay.

"Stop toying with me, asshole! You're just a coward!" I yelled, but my voice cracked causing my courageous façade to crumble. But I wasn't going down without a fight, courage in place or not, so I balled my fists and brought them up to protect my face.

"I very well may be an asshole, but I'm defiantly not a coward. I just enjoy playing with my food," a soft male voice whispered in my ear from behind me.

I jumped in surprise but managed to throw an elbow backward into the person's abdomen. My elbow contacted what felt like granite and I yelped in pain. Going to plan "B" I attempted to drop my weight and run but two arms encircled my body and crushed me backwards.

Yanking my head forward, I planned on slamming it backward into my captor's face, but my momentum was halted by two white stone hands planted on either side of my face.

"Tk tsk tsk… I wouldn't do that if I were you, honey. It would do far more damage to you, my dear, than to him. And no one likes damaged goods."

A different male voice had spoken that time. Oh my God, there were two of _them_. My face was slowly forced upwards until I met an ominous blood-red gaze. My eyes widened as I absorbed his face; it was beautiful and faultless in every way. His platinum blond hair was perfectly styled, and his pale white skin seemed to have some underlying radiance beneath it. His crimson eyes stared back at me before his pale pink lips parted and he dragged his red tongue over his perfectly shaped brilliant white teeth. His grip intensified along my chin while he tucked a strand of loose hair back behind my ear.

When he touched me, an involuntary tremor shot down my spine. I was terrified. The stink seemed to be emanating from his breath –his very person. Just like Bella… Bella was cold and hard… I couldn't process what was going on. _What was going on?_ The male holding my face drew me closer to him and wrenched my bandaged arm up to his nose before he inhaled deeply.

His red eyes turned black as he slowly peeled my bandage off, exposing my bloodied arm. He painfully squeezed my arm, which caused the wound to reopen and blood to seep out. A hiss escaped through his barred teeth and they suddenly looked very sharp.

Jacob's insistence that the old legends were true hit me like a freight train. The stupid story about our werewolf ancestors protecting our people from the Cold Ones wasn't nearly so amusing anymore –maybe it all was true.

These two granite creatures were vampires, and they wanted me to be their breakfast. I was so sorry I had laughed at Jacob's vampire and werewolf story!

I refused to be a meal for a vampire! Screw that. I took a deep breath and gathered as much saliva as I could into my mouth and then spit right into the vampire's pitch colored eyes. My legs lashed out in every direction as I struggled to escape the stone arms of my captor. The sharp pain on my legs confirmed I was at least hitting my targets. Could they even feel me kicking them?

"You bitch!" The vampire in front of me screamed. His hand circled my throat, and he jerked me upwards –right off of the ground. The granite arms of the other vampire, which had been holding me fast, let go as I was yanked skyward. My obstructed airway kept me from screaming. His grip had tightened around my throat and jaw causing them to groan under the pressure. I continued to kick my legs, but my strength was quickly waning. Black stars started to obstruct my vision as my oxygen started running out.

"Let her go, leech." A powerful male voice came out of the fog. I knew that voice.

Jacob? What was he doing here? I renewed my struggles, even if it was probably in vain. The vampire loosened his grip on my throat, and suddenly I became a sputtering heap in the sand. I gasped air into my burning and bruised throat while trying scramble away from the vampire. I was too slow. The vampire moved so quickly I didn't see him, but suddenly, I was back in his grasp, this time acting as a human shield pressed firmly against his cold, hard chest.

"Jacob!" I screamed, before a frozen granite hand clamped painfully over my mouth.

The vampire was backing away, which surprised me. I mean, Jacob was a big guy, but outnumbered and against vampires? I didn't know what chance he had. I could feel the vampire's head whipping around trying to see his adversary. My eyes moved too, desperately trying to see into the fog, praying that the other vampire hadn't already killed Jacob.

A deafening and long howl broke through the fog and caused my ears to ring. The wolf who had howled was _really_ close –like right where Jacob's voice had just come from. What the hell? Why couldn't my brain compute? Jacob couldn't turn into a wolf. He was just a freaky-huge-sexy guy with weird genes…But could he possibly have some weird genetic ability to turn into a wolf? I had to be dreaming this was all insane.

The vampire's granite body began to shudder and shake against mine, before he suddenly turned and ran, giving me whiplash as he dragged me along with him.

I heard a loud snarl before the huge russet wolf appeared in front of us, which caused the vampire to bring us to an abrupt halt, and my head slammed back against his immovable chin –I saw stars. The wolf in front of us was huge, about the size of a horse, his head was held low, his ears were back, and he was prepared to pounce.

"I'll kill her! Don't come any closer!" The vampire squealed as the wolf began to slowly circle us. The wolf growled louder, which distracted the vampire who was holding me. I wasn't distracted however, I was _very_ focused –everything was critical if I was going to live through this. The vampire's grip had loosened marginally just as my eyes met those of the wolf in front of me, and I immediately knew what I was supposed to do. My whole body went limp –becoming dead weight I dropped straight to the sand of the beach. Before I could completely flatten my body into the earth the brown wolf had leapt over my head and landed on the vampire's chest knocking him backward with a rush of wind. The ground shook with the force of their impact.

I crawled as fast as I could. Behind me the vampire's screams were matched with screeching and horrendous ripping of what I assumed was his body. I didn't turn around until I had planted my back up against a tree. The scene unfolding in front of me was so unbelievable and unreal; I couldn't tear my eyes away. The horror monsters in front of me were literally fighting to the death.

There were three wolves now, the russet one and two gray ones –one appeared to have black spots along its back. The wolves methodically ripped the vampire's limbs off, severing his head and shredding his torso to tiny bits. The vampire didn't bleed; maybe they were truly made of stone. A tan wolf appeared out of the woods and glanced at me before jumping into the dwindling fight.

The battle was over in seconds, it seemed, and the last remaining pieces of the vampire were drug or tossed away by the wolves, and I finally released the breath I didn't know I had been holding. My throat and lungs burned with the fresh oxygen. I squeezed my eyes shut and slumped back against the tree trunk. My brain hurt; my thoughts bounced around in my skull at ninety miles an hour and I was suddenly exhausted. Maybe I was just so close to death that I was hallucinating. People who are near death often see monsters fighting to the death for them… right? Ugh. This was too much.

My eyes snapped open when I felt a hot human hand on my shoulder. "Embry?" I whispered as my vision swam before I could clearly focus on my twin's anxious face.

My thoughts didn't register before I grabbed him into a hug. Embry tensed in my arms for a split second before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me fiercely into his chest.

"Shit, Cas. I thought you were dead for sure! But it's okay. You're okay…" Embry trailed off still hugging me to his naked torso. My grip on Embry loosened when I heard heavy paws approach. The huge russet wolf was standing behind Embry looking down at me unblinking.

I stared back. Did I really know those eyes? Could Jacob really be a wolf? My body knew even if my mind couldn't accept it. Experiencing the same compulsion I had last night, I had to touch him. I moved to stand up and Embry helped me but kept himself between me and the wolf.

"Jacob?" I rasped out of my bruised throat as I reached toward the wolf. Embry grabbed my wrist to stop me, which caused the Jacob wolf behind him to let out a low menacing warning growl. Embry shot a glance over his shoulder at Jacob before he let go of my wrist.

Jacob sat down on his haunches in front of me and lolled his huge pink tongue out of his mouth in a lopsided canine grin.

"Please don't, Cassie. It's not safe," Embry said, his eyes not leaving my face. His comment earned another growl out of Jacob.

"It's not safe…Really, Em? I was nearly _eaten_ by vampires. And you and your _Pack_, turn into huge wolves and just saved my life, and you want to tell me being close to Jacob isn't _safe_. He won't hurt me." I met my twin's concerned eyes. "Take a step back, Em. Please?" Either my pathetic state or rasping voice softened my brother's resolve and he stepped out from between Jacob and me with an aggravated huff.

I walked gingerly toward the brown wolf. When I got close enough I simply threw myself into his shoulder; he smelled just like Jacob. My fingers dug into Jacobs's fur as I clung to him. I was safe, and I was home here. My fear dissipated and huge fat tears leaked out of the corners of my eyes.

"I knew it was you." I felt his huge muscles relax, and I continued, "Thank you for saving me." I sniffed into the silky fur of Jacob's neck. My brain seemed to be processing data again because I had realized something, which made me tense and pull away slightly from Jacob. I could see the hurt in Jacob's eye, so I left my hand on his cheek. I wasn't tense because of him.

"There was more than just that vampire. There were at least two of them," I said, as I turned my body to face Embry. Embry just stood and gaped at me with his mouth hanging open. Jacob moved beneath my hand, so I dropped it to my side. The other wolves weren't with us anymore, and suddenly a howl echoed in the distance.

Jacob's huge wolf eyes met mine before he quickly stood up and leaped into the forest. They must have found the other vampire.

I tore my eyes away from where Jacob had vanished and turned back to Embry. My twin was no longer gaping and had switched to scowling at the forest where Jacob had just been.

"Are you okay?" I asked, as I stepped toward him. My steps became shaky as my body started to give in to the shock, and Embry moved to grab me up into his arms before I could topple over.

"You're asking me if _I'm _okay! I'm supposed to be here taking care of _you_!" Embry said into my hair as he towed me into another hug.

Embry continued, "Are you okay, Cas? Seriously, because you're right, you were nearly eaten by vampires. And you were saved by werewolves, who are actually people you know…" When he pulled back to look at me, I allowed my body to collapse back into him. It was one thing to say it, but to hear my irrational suspicions confirmed…Suddenly, I had become beyond tired and was holding on to my twin for dear life. My brain had quickly spiraled into over load –my whole body hurt, and every breath tore at my abused throat.

Embry actually had the nerve to chuckle, before he swung me up into his arms.

"At least you're acting more human, now. Let's get you to Emily's…"

I felt my twin's legs moving beneath me, but I let my eyes close. I had a lot to process all of the sudden. All I had wanted was a normal life –a _normal_ _family_. I hadn't asked to be a part of this dramatic horror movie. Did I even want to try and deal with this new reality? California hadn't been that bad, and I would bet I could get my old job back. A groan escaped my lips before I allowed the blackness to overtake me.

* * *

A/N:

Any thoughts on their kiss or the vamp fight? Wolfy Jacob?

I tackled a ton of 'firsts' in this chapter (the touchy-feely mush, and the small action sequence) so I would love some feedback. Pretty please?

Any constructive criticism would be very welcomed and appreciated! I cherish all of you for reading! Thanks!

*hugs and wolfy kisses*

Special thanks to PTB's DreaC, for being patience with my decidedly lack of comma use and the fact I fight with the spaces around my ellipses. Bastards like being there, I guess.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Six

Ugh. Why did this happen to me? Everything had been fine; I was living a normal perfectly happy life here, blissfully oblivious to all things supernatural. All the times I had told myself I wanted to be a part of something amazing; I had _never_ once imagined this. Was I going to be okay with essentially living in a glorified horror movie?

Embry's steps had slowed, and my eyelids felt like they were made of lead as I forced them open. The awful fog of the morning was dissolving and the sun was beginning to filter down through the trees. My twin glanced down at me, concern written on his face.

I attempted to plaster on a convincing smile, but failed miserably. My bruised jaw had started to swell, which morphed my wannabe smile into a grimace followed closely by a groan.

"Really, Em. I'm fine; you can put me down," I managed to mumble out, somewhat coherently, between groans. My mental inventory seemed to agree with my unconvinced brother. I _wasn't_ fine, my entire body ached and throbbed. A far more optimistic plan would have been to focus on what parts of my body _didn't_ hurt

"That's bullshit, Cassie. We're almost there anyway. Hang on," Embry said, grinding his teeth together.

My guilt grew as I looked up at my twin's clinched jaw. He didn't need to worry about me. Being a werewolf, I'm sure, came with plenty of problems, and he didn't need to concern himself with taking care of me on top of everything else. Ugh. I closed my eyes again and focused on being tough for Embry, Sam, and Jake. Pulling on the remaining shreds of my inner strength, I spoke, and my words came out sounding almost normal.

"Seriously, Em. I'm not going to die. I'm just a bit banged up…No big deal…" Embry glanced down at me as I continued, "Please, put me down." He wasn't convinced, but slowed and complied, gently setting me on my feet.

We were standing in the Uley's yard. Well, Embry was standing; I was painfully hunched, attempting to right myself. My ribs creaked and popped in protest and an involuntary hiss escaped from between my clenched teeth; so much for putting on a tough façade.

Never in my life had I ever been so in tune with my body, and boy was it communicating clearly. My brain was completely ignoring my usual mind-over-matter mentality and was screaming at me to curl into the fetal position and die and to do it _now_.

The screen door slammed open, and Emily's subsequent gasp forced my gaze upward. Her shocked face informed me that I apparently looked as horrible as I felt. Awesome.

"Oh my God! What happened!" Emily yelled. She appeared at my side an instant later, and when her arm laced around my waist, shooting pain laced up my sides. I sucked in a sharp breath and Emily immediately loosened her grip.

"Embry?" she dropped her voice and glanced at my twin.

"She's lucky to be alive, Emily. That scent we caught last night was fresher than we originally thought. There were two different pairs of them and one set had apparently doubled back on us…Jake got to her just in time." Embry sighed trudging behind me and Emily as we made our way into the house.

"I wondered where Sam went flying off too so early…I'll get Cassie all cleaned up, Embry. Why don't you go help the rest of the guys finish up? I know Jake would appreciate getting back here as soon as possible," Emily said, gently coaxing me up the stairs. I paused and partially turned to face my twin.

"Go ahead and go, Embry. I'll be fine. We can talk later, okay?" He was reluctant to leave me, but I didn't want him to be here during this. Resetting my ribs wasn't going to be silent process.

"Seriously…I could use a few minutes to myself anyway…" I trailed off as Embry's eyes glanced down at my form. Forcing myself into a somewhat straight standing position, I waved my brother off and climbed the stairs heading for the bathroom.

Emily and Embry exchanged a few more words before I heard the front door open and slam.

I had managed to drag myself into the bathroom and collapse on the side of the tub before Emily came in, bringing towels and a basin for water. Once she had filled the bowl with steaming water she turned to face me.

"Cassie, are you really okay?" Emily asked her voice full of kindness and concern.

"Oh yeah. I'll be fine." I gave her a small smile. "Do you have some clothes I could borrow?" The ones I was wearing had caked sand and mud smeared on them.

"Of course! I'll be right back to help you, so don't move," Emily said, quickly disappearing down the hall. She returned seconds later carrying some sweat pants and a t-shirt.

Removing my pants and shirt wasn't nearly as painful as I had anticipated, and with help it went almost smoothly. Standing in my underwear in Emily's bathroom however wasn't how I had pictured spending my morning. My body had definitely seen far better days, and judging from Emily's scowl, she agreed with my evaluation.

I took a deep breath I ran my fingers gingerly over my battered ribs. A few were cracked but mostly they were just bruised all to hell, which explained why breathing and standing upright was so painful. I wasn't going to need a trip to the Emergency Room, but hopefully the six Tylenol I had taken would start to work very soon.

Emily was a godsend; she followed my directions and helped me set and then tape up my ribs. Keeping my screams under control managed to help me not pass out and, we had been able to move on to washing and re-bandaging the cut on my arm.

My shins were covered in angry deep-red splotches where I had kicked the vampire's granite bodies. Those would morph into beautiful deep purple bruises in no time. My right elbow was swollen and tinged with purple from where it had contacted the vampire's torso. The various frozen vegetables Emily brought me had started to bring down the swelling and the hot tea she had made was doing wonders for my scratchy throat.

Once we had me cleaned up, I changed into clothes that weren't infused with vampire stench, and I worked up the nerve to look at my neck and face. I gingerly splashed cool water on my face, and prepared myself for the worst.

Emily must have known what I had been thinking. "You'll be wearing turtlenecks for awhile, but it's really not that bad."

"Thanks, Emily." I looked at myself in the mirror and grimaced.

There were deep purple contusions already forming under my jaw. Faint, finger-shaped marks were slightly visible over my mouth and cheek where the vampire had clamped my mouth shut. The worst was by far my neck. Ugh. I would definitely be wearing turtlenecks for a few weeks. There would be no way to hide the huge purple "c" shaped bruise, which wrapped menacingly around the front of my neck.

Emily steadied me as I sank backwards onto the toilet.

"I'm very lucky to be alive." I hadn't realized I had spoken out loud until Emily responded.

"Yeah, you are. It's a really good thing Jacob is so in tune with you."

"What do you mean? Jacob and I just met." My eyebrows raised and I looked questioningly at Emily. She gave me her classic genuine half-smile.

"Well, with you being his imprint and all..."

My forehead creased as I cut her off. "What does that even _mean_? Quil said something about that last night."

Emily's dark eyes widened in surprise and her lips became a thin line as she processed her answer.

"I thought Jacob would have told you. I'm sorry. I didn't want to be the one to…uh…explain..." I nodded and she continued after several seconds of silence. "This is so much for you to deal with, Cassie..." Emily knelt down in front of me, placing her delicate hands gently on my hunched shoulders. Her eyes swam with emotion before she cleared her throat and soldiered on.

"Obviously you know that our guys – your brothers – and their friends are a pack of werewolves, or shape shifters to be more appropriate, and they protect people from vampires…" I nodded again; that part I was clearly aware of. Emily rocked back on her heels and massaged her temples. "Basically an imprint is like a werewolf's soul mate. A werewolf is connected biologically, mentally, and permanently to their imprint. So, it's really more of like a soul mate on steroids. Jacob's bound to you forever, eternally connected to your soul. He's now living his life totally for you; you're the center of his whole universe…" Emily didn't finish whatever she was going to say, but stood up and gave me a lingering haphazard hug.

What the hell? How could I be Jake's soul mate? We had met once. I had thought it had gone well, but eternal-soul-mate well? My brain hurt along with the rest of my body, but I must have managed to choke out some semblance of comprehension along with my nod because Emily continued.

"I know how much this is to take in, Cassie, but I promise you're not alone. Okay? We're all here for you, you know. Are you ready to face the pack? They're waiting downstairs," Emily asked, releasing me as she stood up.

I couldn't meet Emily's eyes. I wasn't ready to face the guys, and maybe I never would be, but I did need to get a grip before I could even dream of venturing downstairs. Emily didn't appear eager to push me into a decision and allowed the silence to awkwardly stretch on.

Somehow the voices from downstairs seemed to have grown louder, as if they were clearly talking right outside the bathroom door. There was no way I could actually understand what was being said and who was saying it. Even if I was hypersensitive and overly aware right now that just wasn't possible. I'm delusional. Perfect. As I shook my head to clear it I dragged my eyes to Emily's. She briefly mirrored the indecision on my face before making up her own mind.

"Why don't you wait to come down for a few more minutes? I'll get rid of most of them, if I can." She gave me a weak smile before leaving and gently closing the bathroom door.

Closing my eyes, I leaned my head back against cool tile wall and tried to organize my jumbled thoughts. My brothers turn into huge dogs –okay, I can deal with that. I wasn't even really freaking out about the whole vampires and werewolves thing – I was hung up on the fact some gorgeous shape-shifting guy had decided I was his forever mate. What was I supposed to do about that!

The voices from downstairs continued to be clear, but I tried to ignore what was being said. Paul was ribbing Jacob about rescuing me. He was apparently under the false impression that I could have handled it alone if Jake hadn't of stepped in. Whatever! I couldn't turn into a huge dog and protect myself. I wasn't the only delusional person today. Emily's normally sweet and patient voice finally broke over the guy's commotion. For not being a wolf she sure had influence, because after only a few whispered exchanges, the front door opened and closed several times.

The only people left were Emily, Sam, Embry, and Jacob. Even though Jacob had barely spoken I knew he was there. It was almost like I could feel their essence through the floor boards. God. I was losing it, and completely out of my mind. When the silence downstairs was only broken by an occasional whispered question to Emily, I forced my thoughts to focus. I had to wade through this mess of information.

I had to give Jacob a chance, didn't I? As easy as it would be to turn tail and leave; I wasn't ready to give up my family. Shape shifting aside, Jacob didn't seem anything short of someone I just might want to spend forever with. Granted, one magical walk on the beach wasn't enough to start planning a wedding, but I could at least be open to the idea, right? There was no harm in giving it a go; if it failed, then, I could leave.

After releasing several measured calming breaths, I slowly stood up. One thing at a time, that's what I could deal with. First things first, my family was worried and needed to see that I was okay. And really, I was feeling much better –physically. My body must have giving itself over to the drugs, because other than some dull aches, I felt almost normal.

As soon as I turned the door knob, all conversation ceased from downstairs. Forcing another deep breath into my lungs, I started down the stairs, and my steps echoed loudly throughout the Uley house.

Emily was stationed at the bottom of the stairs, tucked into Sam's side. When Sam glanced at me and took in my appearance he kept his face mostly impassive. But I caught the slight movement in his shoulder muscles as they tightened around Emily and pulled her closer to him.

Both Embry and Jacob's attention had snapped to me as soon as I had come into view. After Embry gave me a brief once-over he turned to glare daggers at Jacob like it was somehow Jake's fault this happened. As Jacob's black eyes locked onto mine he seemed to tune out the rest of the room, as if it was just me and him standing there. His gaze was so intense my eyes began to tear up as I stared back at him. Everything Emily had said –how important I was to him– he was able to convey in one powerful look. He had been so worried; he was beyond angry I had been hurt; he deeply cared for me. No one had ever looked at me that way. Even as I had watched my parents die, I had never experienced such a raw emotional projection. Jacob's emotions threatened to overwhelm me. Focusing on chewing nervously on my thumb instead, I tore my eyes away from his.

It seemed so wrong. Guilt washed over me. Because of me, Jacob had to feel all of those powerful emotions. It wasn't fair. You shouldn't be forced to care about someone that deeply so quickly. Why did some mystical power get to play cupid like there weren't going to be consequences? I knew there would be consequences; there always were. I just prayed the consequences wouldn't make any casualties.

Looking at the floor I spoke, directing my quiet words at Jacob.

"Can I talk to you outside for a second, please?"

"Sure. Anything." Jake's perfect voice answered me, and before I had even taken a step he was at my side. Werewolves were apparently fast even out of canine form. Gently placing one of his huge warm hands onto the small of my back, Jake guided me out the front door.

Jacob steered me across Sam's yard until we stood several yards inside the tree line. As I turned to face Jake his hand slid down my back then over my hip, leaving a wake of warmth behind. He was visibly fighting to gain control over his emotions without much success. Jacob's jaw clenched and his deep onyx eyes tightened as his heated gaze dropped to my bruised throat. He blinked repeatedly before looking away. Jake's hands clenched into painful fists at his sides as his body started to shake. The battle over whatever small amount of control Jacob had worked up was quickly being lost.

Reaching out, I pried apart his tense fingers and interlaced them tightly with mine. Jacob took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Then we both spoke at once.

"Listen, Jake…"

"Cassie, I'm so sorry…"

Jacob continued as I paused, "Cassie, I'm sorry. I should've protected you…"

"What? Are you kidding me?" I asked, shocked. Jacob didn't answer; he just kept staring at our intertwined hands. I dropped my voice several octaves and went on.

"Jake, listen…" His eyes flicked to mine; I had never called him Jake before. "I would be dead or worse if you hadn't shown up. You saved my life. Thank you."

"I should've acted quicker," he mumbled.

"Look. I'm not dead, and I wasn't bitten, so I'm not going to turn into a vampire. I'm a bit banged up, yeah, but some of us are weak humans and bruise." Jacob's hand tensed beneath mine, and my memories suddenly clicked into place. Bella's not a human, and Jacob loves her, or loved her, but… if Bella is a vampire…

"What were you going to tell me before I interrupted you?" Jacob asked, yanking my focus back to his gorgeous face.

"Oh…umm…" My revelation of Bella being a vampire had jacked up my train of thought, and I had to pause for a second. "Oh. I was just going to tell you that I'm slightly overwhelmed with everything that's going on. This is all brand new to me, and I'm still just trying to make sense of everything."

"You can take all the time you need to process and let things sink in. I'm not going anywhere." Jacob's voice was even as he squeezed my hands.

"Thank you." I gave him a small smile before I asked the question that was burning itself into my brain. "Why was I picked to be your soul mate? Or 'imprint'? Or whatever…" I trailed off, my eyes meeting Jacob's.

He thoughtfully chewed on his bottom lip for several seconds as he debated his answer. It seemed like every time I was around Jacob I was forced to notice his perfect lips. Was he chewing on it on purpose just to distract me? I should have minded, but there was something completely entrancing about his perfect white teeth kneading his bottom lip. Eventually, Jacob let out a deep sigh and I was able to re-focus back into his dark eyes. I saw nothing but honest determination.

"Do you want the brutally honest truth? Or the straight-from-my-heart truth?" Jacob asked, as he ran his warm fingers gently across my bruised jaw. I closed my eyes and carefully leaned into him.

"Both, I guess." My eyes opened just in time to witness Jacob's torn expression.

Jacob cleared his throat before dropping his hand from my face. His warmth was missed immediately.

"Okay…Well, the straight answer is…ah…you're from a strong bloodline." My eyebrow quirked up at his statement, so he continued, "basically, you have a strong wolf gene from your dad. And your genetic make-up mixed with mine will produce stronger wolves for coming generations."

My mouth dropped open and I stuttered, grasping for a coherent response. That wasn't anything close to the answer I had been mentally preparing myself for.

"So… this," I gestured between us, "is just like some mystical mating imperative…You're only into me so we can procreate? I have great wolfy genes and what? Good birthing hips?"

My voice was a higher pitch than I would have liked, but this was insane. I had really started to like Jacob, to the point I was going to open up and maybe even let him get to _really_ know me. But no. I pick some smoking hot wolf-boy whose inner canine was solely looking for breeding buddy. Period. How awesomely perfect. I sure did know how to pick them.

My head was spinning as I let go of Jacob's hand in order to rub my temples with my fingers. Deep down I had known that Jacob Black really liking me was too good to be true. How stupid was I? I should have known better. Things that seem to good to be true probably are. What an idiot I was to fall for it!

Jacob was able to gently place his burning hand on my shoulder before I could shrug it off, and he let his arm drop heavily to his side.

"Listen, Cassie, there's more to it than that…" Jacob tried to continue but I held up one finger silently asking him to give me a second, and to be honest I would need a helluva lot more than a second.

Seconds turned into minutes as I stood staring at Jacob's muscled chest. My brain focused and unfocused as I again grappled with coming up with an action plan. What even were my options for dealing with this? Only a single clear thing kept coming to mind; I needed to get out of here. Now.

"I need to go home. I thought I could handle everything, but I just can't…not right now." Meeting Jacob's eyes, I forced myself to keep going, "Look, I'm sorry…this isn't…I'm just not ready for all this…" I couldn't finish without breaking down, so I just turned and escaped back towards Sam's house leaving Jacob standing alone in the woods behind me.

I didn't look back. I didn't need to see how much I had probably just hurt Jacob. Berating myself for being a coward, I trudged across the yard; why was I having trouble rationalizing? Leaving was the only thing that should be making sense. I should have moved to Seattle in the first place. There would always be holidays to spend time with my brothers, right? Jacob could find someone who could be his equal. He needed someone who could fight monsters with him; someone who completely understands. I could never give him that; he deserved someone who could.

As soon as I got close to the porch, the screen door swung open and bounced against the wall. Embry had been waiting for me and he was at my side in an instant. I didn't move as he threw his arms around me hugged me to his chest. He always seemed to know what I needed; maybe twins _were_ mentally linked to each other.

"Take me home, Em." My twin just nodded and steered me towards Emily's car.

After he buckled me in the passenger seat, he gently closed my door. A second later he was in the driver's seat and the engine purred to life.

I could feel Embry's eyes on me, but I didn't turn to look at him. I let my head fall backwards, and it bounced lightly off the headrest.

"Are you okay, Cas?" Embry asked. I wondered if he could hear my brain slipping into overload; I swear I almost could. My blood pounded in my ears and my vision swam with tears blurring the dirt road in front of us. Tightly shutting my eyes I hugged my arms around my body and pulled my legs to my torso.

"No. I'm not okay." My whole world was screwed up, my body was broken. Every single thing was messed up. I felt like I had an extreme fever and chills all at once. I knew I could figure this out, but my brain just wouldn't focus on the answer.

* * *

AN:

I really appreciate all of you for reading! You rock, and make me feel like my 'silly hobby' isn't a complete waste of my time

*hugs and wolfy kisses*

Shout out of thanks to PTB's Robotprospektor, for her persistence and patience with my continued lack of comma usage. I will in fact single space the beginning of my sentences from now on! Promise! Thanks to DreaC, too! She's my lovely beta from wolf corner!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Seven

Once we had gotten back to our house, I changed while Embry made me some eggs and toast. The old jeans and turtleneck I slipped on immediately helped me feel better. Now at least I wasn't assaulted with the reminder of my injuries every time I walked in front of a mirror. Embry gave me two more Tylenol and glass of water before he reluctantly left to fill an afternoon shift at the garage. I know if I had needed him to stay he would have, but honestly, I just needed some 'me' time to digest all of the insane information that had been dumped on me in the last twenty-four hours.

Lying on my back in my borrowed bedroom, I stared blindly at the ceiling as my brain slowly processed through the days events. The mental list of facts rattling around in my head was pure fantastical lunacy. Had I seriously just stepped into the Twilight-Zone? All my life I grew up _knowing _crap like this didn't exist; it wasn't real. If this was all some huge April Fools joke it would be easier for me to accept.

My brothers were werewolves, and all of their friends were werewolves. They all turned into giant wolves in order to protect humans from vampires. Vampires really existed and I had nearly been eaten by them this morning. Jacob had been able to find and save me because I was his _imprint, _and we were deeply and irrevocably connected. I was his mystical soul mate, and he was now and forever unconditionally devoted to me. Groaning, I rolled over and slammed my head into my pillow.

Embry didn't have an imprint –yet – so his input had all been based on what he had witnessed through the minds of his wolf brothers. The horror story I was now thrown into got a lot better with telepathic werewolves, right? Of course Embry had mentioned this tidbit of information just in passing, as if it was no big deal. They only share thoughts while phased (in wolf form), and it's more for coordinating attacks on vampires than swapping memories. Right. Anyway, Embry tried to describe Sam's imprint on Emily, but he didn't give me details and frankly it wasn't really my business. Knowing that Sam dumped Leah because of the powerful hold his imprint held over him didn't help relieve my mind.

This imprint thing had destroyed a beautiful loving relationship just because —genetically— Emily was a better match for Sam's wolf. It didn't seem fair. From what Leah had said, the devastation of it had taken her years to overcome, and I'd feel horrible if I did that to anyone.

I didn't need to piss off Jake's vampire ex-girlfriend with our supernatural romantic connection if they still had feelings for each other. Through his laughter Embry told me I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Jake couldn't look at Bella the same way now he had imprinted on me, and Bella, well, she was married.

According to Embry, Jacob and Bella hadn't really ever been together. He gave me the short version of their not-so-much love affair. Basically before Bella became a vampire, she fell in love and dated a vampire, and then her vampire boyfriend left her. She went into this several month long horrible funk, full of nightmares, malnutrition and intense depression. Jake essentially came in and rescued her from herself. Even though he had been crushing on Bella since they were kids; she never returned his feelings. Anyway, to make my twin's long and convoluted story short, Bella used Jake because he made her feel better, and then when her _leech_ —which is wolf pack speak for vampire— came back, she dropped Jacob like a bad habit. The two times she kissed him while back with the leech meant nothing to her and neither did the huge epic battle the wolves fought alongside the bloodsuckers in order to protect her. She married the vampire and was turned so she could have her happily ever after —forever. Their whole relationship sounded like some messed up supernatural soap opera to me. What a disaster. No wonder Leah had wanted to punch Bella in the throat; I kind of did too, but then again, her being a bloodsucker, I'd probably just break my hand.

According to Embry, Jake had taken Bella going vampire as a personal failure, which explained his over reaction to 'not protecting me' this morning. When he had finally been able to get away for a few weeks, I had to show up and literally rock his universe and plant myself in the middle of his supernatural romantic angst-filled drama.

Rolling back over I continued to stare at my ceiling, going over everything in my head yet _again_.

The imprint thing was designed to essentially be a mating objective, yes, but I really felt like there was more to it than that. It was effectively just the powers in the universe forcing you and your destined soul mate together. I had seen what Emily and Sam, Jared and Kim, and even Paul and Rachel were like together. They were all clearly happy and genuinely, deeply, and passionately in love. All of the interaction I had witnessed between the other imprinted couples was nothing short of absolute devotion and adoration. What girl wouldn't want to have that? It was terrifying to think I could have that, did have that…I physically shook my head. What happened in the past wasn't anything like what Jacob and I were, or what we had the potential to be. _He_ hadn't been my forever soul mate, and _he_ had been nothing but human.

Taking a deep breath, I made the only decision that there really was. I'd spent the last few months picking up the pieces of my own failed attempt at love. This choice was putting everything I had worked for at risk, but if what everybody said was true about this imprinting business, it would work out. It had to work out.

If I could learn that vampires and werewolves existed and were real, surely I could stretch that idea to include a fairy tale happily-ever-after ending for me. I had wanted a whole new life, right? I would be crazy to walk away from this; everything I had ever wanted was here. Love, family and a place I could belong to and be accepted. Worst case scenario, I'd gone completely insane and Embry could just check me into the Forks Hospital psych ward.

Carefully crawling out of bed I made my way into the kitchen. Oddly enough, my body didn't seem stiff or even sore anymore. Maybe I was just that at peace with my decision? At any rate, as soon as I reached the kitchen my stomach loudly growled. It had only been a few hours since I had last eaten, but apparently life altering decisions coupled with fighting for your life upped your metabolism. I even felt warmer than usual, but thinking of Jake for the last several hours had done nothing to help cool my internal thermometer. My face flushed, just thinking of him made my knees weak. I needed to talk to him and soon, but I was starving!

After I chugged down a huge glass of milk and ate a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I picked up the phone and dialed the number Embry had stuck to the fridge. He answered after the first ring.

"Auto Shop, this is Embry." I rolled my eyes at his almost sing-song answer.

"Hey, twin. Is Jake there?"

"Cas! How're you feeling? Is everything okay?" The concern in Embry's voice made me smile, and I didn't even get a twinge of pain from my jaw in response.

"I'm fine, Em. I feel really good actually. I was just wondering if Jake was there…I need to talk to him." There was a short pause.

"Uh. Yeah…he's not here. Don't freak…okay?" My forehead creased with Embry's question. What now? I wasn't sure I could deal with any more surprises.

"Okay…Is he alright?"

"It's not that…it's just…umm…he's in the woods outside our house, and has been there for the last two hours."

"Oh," was all I managed to say. Embry's words didn't actually surprise me. I had felt him there without knowing what I was feeling. The last two hours I had felt calm and composed, and it was because I had unconsciously been tapped into my imprint bond. Ugh. Here I had been contemplating battling the imprint and it had been influencing me the whole damn time. No wonder it had been so easy to make up my damn mind and to surrender to fate. Go figure.

"Cassie? You still there?" Embry asked through the phone, which I had dropped to my side. Surprised I had been able to hear his question, I jerked the receiver back up to my ear.

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry. I think…I knew he was here…I'm going to go. See you later." I hung up on him before he could respond. Now that my mind had confirmation that Jacob was just outside, I didn't fight the pull to go to him. I wanted to be with him. I needed to be with him.

I ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to smooth it as I made my way to the front door. After wrenching the door open I crossed the driveway in just a few strides and I caught a glimpse of russet fur moving mutely through the trees in front of me. Jacob appeared seconds later clad only in his sports shorts. I stopped just short of the trees when I saw him; my breath caught in my throat as my heart started to hammer in my chest. Bella Swan was a complete idiot. How anyone could have chosen someone over Jacob was beyond me. Even in worn basketball shorts and bare feet he oozed pure masculine sex appeal. If I stood any chance of getting out my apology, I needed to keep my ogling to a minimum. He was watching me expectantly, and I felt my cheeks warm under his gaze. It was now or never.

"Listen, Jake…I'm so sorry about this morning." I kept my eyes on the ground in front of his naked feet. My courage gradually built as I moved my eyes up his strong legs, to his perfectly sculpted abs and chest, then to his strong jaw before I finally encountered his searching eyes. "I don't know what to think about this imprint stuff, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Give me another chance, and some time to accept everything, okay? This morning was just a lot to take in and deal with."

My soul ached as the silence seemed to stretch between us. I desperately needed him to forgive me, and I took several dragging steps toward him. This imprint business was far more intense than I remembered it being this morning; the air separating us virtually crackled with the energy and emotions flowing between us. The very essence of my being was tied with Jacob's; there was no way I was ever going to back out. In every beat of my heart I knew I had made the right decision.

Jacob slowly released the breath he had been holding and his whole body visibly relaxed.

"Whatever you need, Cassie, you have to know, I'll do. We'll work through this together. I promise. I don't ever want to hurt you; I don't think I can. I should have explained the imprint a bit better than I did; I'm sorry." He was being sincere, and I completely believed him.

"Okay. I am really sorry for my over-reaction." A small genuine smile blossomed on my face.

Jacob smirked as he gently pulled me into his hard muscular chest.

"It's alright. You didn't over-react; it's a lot to deal with. Trust me; I know how it feels to have your whole world turned upside down in a single instant. You did have me worried there for a bit, though." His voice was muffled as he spoke against the shell of my ear causing me to shudder against him.

Slipping my arms around his waist I breathed him in. Spending every second of every day snuggled into his chest could definitely be a "happily ever after" I'd be content with.

The world seemed to slow down; it was like I was having an out-of-body experience. I could smell the trees and earth around me, and I swear I could even hear the insects moving around us, through the dirt and trees. Maybe being this connected to someone made you that much more in-tune with the rest of life on the planet.

Jacob's breath moved my hair as his warm fingers ghosted patterns over my lower back. After several minutes, he pulled back just enough to look into my face. Jake's hands shifted, moving slowly down to my hips then up to my arms, and my neck until he was gently cradling my face. His dark smoldering eyes dropped to my lips and my eyes slid closed.

Jacob's lips were just as perfect as I remembered them, and as he kissed me everything else faded away. My body didn't hurt anymore. It was like it had never happened. Apparently not wanting to hurt me Jake began to pull away after his chaste kiss, but I wasn't planning on letting him go. Weaving my fingers into the short dark satin hair at the base of his neck I tugged him back to me. This time when our lips met I sucked his bottom lip between my teeth and nibbled. He was like oxygen to me; I needed him. He wasn't going to get away from me any time soon.

Jacob's chest rumbled against mine as he pulled me completely flush against his body. Releasing his lip I dragged my pierced tongue over it. Jacob tasted absolutely amazing. Sighing, I laid my head on Jacob's shoulder, and my foggy brain began to wander. Had I grown? I didn't remember my body fitting so perfectly into Jacob's last night. Did this imprint thing just make our bodies more in tune with each other? That would be fantastic if it did.

Jake's warm hands had moved back to gently surround my hips and they were holding me firmly against him. Closing my eyes I focused on the electricity that seemed to hum between us. If Jacob's hands felt this amazing touching my body with clothes on…I blushed at the direction my thoughts were heading, but as soon as I felt the heat creep into my cheeks Jacob jerked away from me.

"Are you okay, Cassie?" Jacob asked, concern etched on his face.

"Yeah. I'm fine," _other than you catching me thinking borderline dirty thoughts, I'm great._ "Why?" My blush refused to go away. In fact, it felt like my skin was getting hotter.

"You're burning up," Jake said gently placing his palm on my forehead. When his skin contacted mine he didn't feel hot or even warm; His palm felt almost cool against my head.

My shock registered on my face, as the world around me slowed to a crawl. Stumbling back from Jacob, I dropped to my knees. Why was I suddenly so weak? What was going on? Was I going into shock now, a half a day after my attack?

Jacob was kneeling in front of me before I could process his movement. My wide-startled eyes met his anxious ones. I needed to focus. I could handle this; I just needed to think.

My chest burned and it felt like a huge weight was crushing me; just breathing had become a challenge. I had been feeling fine. Hadn't I? This didn't make any sense. I had everything under control and was perfectly happy with the decisions I had made. Why was my body suddenly freaking out!

Placing two fingers on my neck I took my pulse. My heart rate was bouncing off the charts; I could barely keep count of its hammering rhythm.

"Jacob, my heart is beating way too fast." I choked out. Tachycardia; could be a symptom of stress meltdown, or a panic attack. Okay, I knew that, but it'd been at least three hours since the vampires had attacked me. Why was this happening now?

A panic attack would possibly explain my shortness of breath, tight chest, and high body temperature. Maybe I was just really slow in processing the stress of being attacked because I had been too busy thinking of Jacob and imprinting. From what medical knowledge I did have, this wasn't how these types of things worked, though.

"Cassie, what are you feeling?" Jacob's normally calm voice was slightly tinged with panic.

"I just need…to calm down." I managed to gasp out. Muscle tremors had started in my hands, so I clenched them into fists futilely trying to contain the spasms from moving up my arms. I forced my eyes back to Jacob's. He had moved closer to me so he could loosely encircle my feverish body with his arms. My arms trembled and shook, ricocheting off his torso and arms like pin-balls.

"Jake…if I start seizing, make sure I don't hit my head and go…get help…I'll stop breathing…" I managed to whisper out as my breath wheezed out of my lungs. This didn't fit a panic attack, was I having some sort of an allergic reaction? My throat didn't feel inflamed or swollen and I wasn't having any other symptoms. I had never reacted to Motrin or Tylenol before. My arms continued to violently shake as I felt my body's temperature rising. What could be giving me a fever? Was my temperature high enough that it was causing my body to seize? That was possible, but I had never once had a seizure before. What the hell was going on?

Jacob pulled me fully against him so that he cradled my head with one of his huge hands. He wouldn't let anything happen to me; he'd protect me. That thought blew like a soothing breeze through my overworked brain, and I almost managed to suck a full breath into my burning lungs.

Minutes had passed since I had dropped to my knees, but it felt like an eternity. My muscles ached with fatigue. Everything from my skin to my joints, including my bones, felt like they were burning in some invisible fire. The ground behind Jacob violently came into focus and I nearly threw up. My head spun with vertigo even though I knew I wasn't moving. I closed my eyes focusing on my pounding heartbeat and the deafening rushing of blood in my ears, willing it to slow down. I had to calm my body down before my heart gave out.

I distinctly heard Jacob, followed by Embry, speaking, but they sounded far away and disconnected. My overly sharp hearing of several minutes ago had apparently faded. Their conversation sounded like it was taking place underwater, garbled and completely unintelligible.

My frazzled and unfocused brain zeroed in on a lone wolf's howl echoing in the forest behind us. I couldn't even control my thoughts to rationalize why or if it was real; the wolf's bay reverberated in my soul, and I was immediately flooded with a new command over my body. Willing my body to calm down, I replayed the howl over and over in my mind.

Suddenly, in one instant, as if a switch had been thrown, I was fine and completely back to normal. The tremors stopped, my heart slowed, and the burning flames that had been consuming my body vanished. Exhaustion hit me like a freight train, and I couldn't force my eyes open. All I could think was how much I wanted to curl up on the forest floor and sleep for days.

I could feel Jacob's presence around me. He continued to hold my body gently against his, both cradling and supporting me. Had he been the one to hold me together? I allowed myself to hang limp against his muscled torso and my head dropped to his shoulder. Jacob seemed to want to pick me up, but I think he was afraid to move me just yet. The hand that had been cradling my head moved to gently comb through my hair before it came to rest securely on my lower back.

Sam had appeared next to Embry. It had been Sam in wolf form I had heard howl. How I knew that it was Sam didn't matter; it was him. I just knew it, just like I knew both Sam and Embry were standing roughly eight feet directly behind Jacob, watching me. It was like I could sense them without seeing them.

The smell of the forest, damp pine and underlying rot, had become so potent it threatened to burn my suddenly overly sensitive nostrils, and I fought to focus on Jacob and my brothers' scents.

Sam whispered to Embry, but I heard him like he was speaking directly into my ear.

"The vampires must have triggered the gene. It would make sense that it's happening so late if she had never been in contact with one before…it would delay the onset…"

My eyes snapped opened before Sam could finish. My gene had been triggered because I had come in contact with vampires. The supernatural wolf gene that Jacob said I carried, the same gene that turned my brothers into huge werewolves. Oh my God. I was going to wolf out and become a monster too. Why was I calm and not freaking out right now? A part of me kind of wanted to freak out. This was far more than just icing on the cake to my supernatural day from hell.

Jake stood up slowly, pulling me up with him before he gently stood me on my feet. His eyes scanned over my form before he took a step to the side and dropped his arms to sides. He stood just close enough that he was supporting me, without directly leading me. My heart swelled in my chest before I focused back on Sam.

"What exactly are you saying, Sam?" I managed to ask evenly, meeting my brother's wary stare.

Sam's eyes widened marginally, he hadn't been expecting me to hear him, as he straightened and took several steps towards Jacob and me. I moved to meet him, but Jacob matched my movement and trapped me in his arms before I could side-step him. I tensed for only a second before I allowed myself to melt backward into his chest. His strength was exactly what I needed to keep me anchored right now. Jacob had his muscular arms wrapped solidly around my torso and chest, I wasn't going anywhere. Whatever anxiety I had been feeling seeped into the damp earth at my feet the more I focused on Jacob. I briefly wondered if it would always be that way for me. Was I the center of his universe, too? Was I like his gravity? Sam cleared his throat and I refocused my gaze with his. Right. I needed to listen to Sam right now.

Sam's eyes looked aged and sad, as he took a deep breath before speaking. His voice was quiet and sullen.

"Cassie, look, I'm really sorry…It never occurred to any of us that you might be affected by this…I promise we had no idea…There is no excuse but it's only happened to one other female and quite honestly, we all thought that it was just a fluke…and with the imprint in place it could really change the dynamic of things. We can't be one-hundred percent sure until you do actually phase, but from what I just saw it looks like your wolf gene has been triggered." Sam stopped talking in order to roughly drag his hand over his face.

Jacob's breath on my cheek was distracting me and I suddenly wanted nothing more than to turn my head and slowly drag my tongue along his jaw.

What the hell was wrong with my brain? My brother is trying to explain how much more screwed up my life is going to become because I'm _potentially_ going to turn into a huge wolf, and the only thing I care about is swapping spit with my mystical soul mate! I dragged a deep breathe in through my nose to clear my head. The forest combined with Jacob's scent instantly grounded me in a calm focus.

"Don't be sorry, Sam. I'm not…" Jake's arms tightened around me and I couldn't help but smile. It felt like this was right; coming here had been my destiny all along. "This is how it's supposed to be. If I am going to wolf out or whatever, though, I would like to be a bit more prepared. That was terrifying not knowing what was going on with my body." Moving my gaze to Embry's stunned face, I continued, "I'm still a newbie at all of this, so you'll have to patient with me; all of this is just a bit surreal."

My twin's mouth dropped open in shock, and I smiled shakily after finishing my brief pronouncement. Considering mentally I had done a one-hundred-eighty degree turn since this morning, I wasn't at all surprised. Frankly I'm not sure I had ever been so calm. Maybe things were so bizarrely out of my normal coping range I couldn't rationalize it enough to make it work in my brain, so I was just peaceably going with it. Whatever was going on, I had never felt more content in my life.

I think finding the purpose of my existence had been slightly delayed from falling into place like it should have because I hadn't been here in La Push. I didn't get to grow up here with my family; Jacob and I weren't able to meet and fall in love as teenagers. Yet somehow I had still managed to take the round-about way to get the same end result.

And I couldn't turn away from this if I tried.

* * *

AN:

This chapter was missing some serious love and sucking of face. *Sigh* I hope to do better next update.

I would love to know what ya'll think! Most of you figured out long ago that Cassie was going to wolf out. Sorry it wasn't a shocking twist in the plot liked I had hoped it would be!

Shout out of thanks to PTB's Robotprospektor, for sweet patience and kind educational words.

HUGE special thanks to Leanne Golighty for the nominations in the Gem Awards!

– Go read her lovely work if you haven't already! Oh yeah and feel free to go vote after 11/25/10 gemawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com

*hugs and wolfy kisses*


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

**CAUTION NOTE:** I dredge up a dark subject from Cassie past in the beginning of this chapter! If dark/angsty themes such as abuse, rape, kidnapping, etc… bother you DO NOT read any further! You have been warned!

* * *

Chapter Eight

Four days had passed since I'd first phased, and let me be the first to tell you it had been the longest four days of my life. My body ached and muscles were sore in places I'm sure hadn't existed before.

As I stretched, a small groan escaped my lips, causing Jacob to chuckle next to me.

"Laugh it up, fur ball. You've been doing this werewolf gig a lot longer than I have." I winked at him. "Though, Mr. Black, I must say you're much better looking than Chewbacca."

Jacob's gorgeous smile flashed across his face before morphing in to a mischievous grin. My heart beat sped up as he began to slowly inch toward me, like a predator stalking their prey. Two could play that game. Batting my eyelashes, I dragged my tongue along my bottom lip. I clicked my tongue ring against the back of my teeth, and his fluid movement faltered for a split second.

"Are you planning on getting over here before I die and rigor sets in?" I asked, pretending to stifle a yawn.

Jacob pounced and had me pinned beneath him before I could blink; I hadn't even had time to draw a full breath before his lips crashed into mine. My requirement for air was once again replaced by my need for all things Jake.

Jacob was the Alpha; his connection to his imprint was more intense and stronger than the others. Because I too had now phased, the connection between us was essentially a double imprint. Our bond was twice as potent as the other imprinted pairs, hence the almost overwhelming need we seemed to have for one another. The elders seemed to think the intensity would lessen the longer we were together, but a part of me hoped it never would.

Wrapping my legs around Jacob's and digging my fingers into his bare, muscled back earned me a growl from him that reverberated in my own chest. My lips parted and his tongue wasted no time in plunging into my mouth. Our tongues continued to dance together as Jacob's hands roamed down the sides of my chest and around my hips before coming to standstill. His thumbs ghosted circles over my hipbones sending fiery jolts of pleasure curling down to my toes.

His assault on my mouth began to gradually migrate down along my jaw to my ear, allowing me to gasp air into my lungs. It was my turn to growl as he began to suck and nibble on my earlobe. My hands buried themselves into his soft black hair, and I hitched my leg up around his hip. I moved against him forcing him to roll over so I could straddle his waist. My fingers mapped his perfectly defined pecks before I inched them downward to his chiseled abdominal muscles.

Jacob's right hand moved up along the top of my shorts, as his left inched away from my hip in order to establish a solid hold on my ass.

His warm fingers faltered as they traced over the jagged scar that shadowed the length of my bottom rib. I felt his eyes searching my face, but I didn't look up; my fingers kept up their mindless tracing as I focused on keeping my breathing even.

There was still so much about me that Jacob didn't know. Granted, I knew in my heart he couldn't just up leave me once he found out, but still…I didn't want my stupid past to be a hurdle for us, for him. He did have a right to know everything, and I knew that. It had just been so much easier to put it off. Maybe my subconscious had set me up for this; when you're only wearing shorts and a sports bra it becomes a lot harder to hide all of your physical scars.

"What's this from, Cassie?" Jacob asked, his thumb continuing to outline my scar, as our dark eyes met.

He's not going to think any different of me, I repeated silently to myself. I'm his imprint, and nothing will change that. I know I'm stronger and better because of everything that's happened. Jacob won't see me as being damaged goods. He won't.

Yeah, freaking right, even though it's different for us, he's still a guy. Ugh. Why do I always have to be the messed up and broken one? I took a dragging breath in a vain attempt to keep my voice from shaking.

"When I was about fourteen I lived in a group home, and there were a lot of us kids, so we weren't always supervised…one of my older foster brothers had some issues… and I got into a bit of a …ummm…altercation with him one day over a… ah…conflict of interest, I guess, and…umm…he got really pissed and stabbed me." There I said it. Jacob didn't look away, but I saw the anger flash in his eyes before his grip around my body tightened as he pulled me closer against him

"A conflict of interest, huh?" His eyes narrowed marginally; he wasn't buying my vague explanation. Damn; so much for being able to dance around and avoid the complete truth.

I brought my thumb to my mouth so I could chew on it as I tried to work out the best way to phrase my response. Jacob's body shifted beneath me as he sat up, pulling me with him. He hadn't let go of me; I was still firmly held in his arms, but now I was just sitting up straddling his waist. He reached up so he could tug my hand away from my mouth, before he moved to cradle my face in his hands. He was going to make me to look him in the eye. Ugh. Why did I have to be so easy to read?

I stared evenly at a strand of his hair that was hanging down across his forehead. There was no way, even as close as we had gotten, that I could be looking at him when I answered. After I managed to worm my face out of his grasp, I laid my head on his shoulder and tightly shut my eyes.

If I couldn't see his face, I could protect myself from his reaction. Jake probably saw through my plan, but he didn't force me; he just held my body with his strong arms and kept gently stroking my now short hair as he waited for my answer. Why did he have to be so perfect? It was making me feel filthy and undeserving. God. My shaky breathing was doing nothing to calm my nerves. My whole damn body was betraying me. I needed to hurry up and just get it over with.

"Well…I…it's…" Forcing another breath in and out of my lungs, I started over. "The conflict of interest was…umm…well, he wanted to have sex and…I didn't...so he just forced himself on me..." I paused to give myself a mental shake. I couldn't afford to allow myself get completely drawn into the memory. Not today, and definitely not in front of Jake. My eyes stared unseeing at the tree behind Jacob, and I soldiered on, "I didn't understand. At first, I didn't really fight back...because I was scared and he was really strong, but that wasn't how I wanted it to be...you know. It shouldn't be like that. I didn't want him to hurt me anymore. When I did start to struggle, I think, he liked that better…but…then he told me Alisa was next. She was only ten...That's when I really started fighting him. I couldn't let him hurt anyone else…so I kept scratching and biting, and eventually I bit a chuck out of his neck. He grabbed his pocket knife and stabbed me then…" Forcing in a dragging breath, I ended my memory and blinked my eyes back in focus. "When the cops showed up I was afraid they wouldn't believe me, that they would say it was my fault. But they didn't. They took him away —and I never saw him again." As I finished, my voice sounded so detached, as it echoed in my ears, it was barely recognizable as my own. I took another few breaths trying to force my body to relax, but Jacob's whole body had stiffened.

Jacob's hand which had been stroking my hair paused. His body started to shake underneath me so I pulled back so I could see his face. His hard and impassive mask was firmly in place; I called it his alpha face. It was his tough façade, and the shield he used to hide his own emotions. I moved my hands up to his shoulders, forcing him to meet my eyes. This wasn't just about me anymore; I needed to be strong to be the support my imprint needed me to be.

"It happened a long time ago, Jake. Everything happens for a reason, you know..." I trailed off as his jaw painfully clinched and unclenched, "if it hadn't of happened, who knows where I would have ended up in my life." My fingers stroked his creased forehead trying to smooth the lines away. "I'm here with you now; all of my past drama is just that, in the past. It's over and done with."

His body had stopped vibrating, but his grip around me had painfully tightened.

"I'm so sorry, Cassie; I wasn't there to protect you."

"It wasn't your job to protect me then. Even you were human back then, what could you have done?"

Jacob's teeth ground loudly together. "I could have killed him, very slowly, and then kidnapped you to come live with me here."

"That's a nice fantasy." I smiled at him. "However, I don't think it's considered kidnapping if you have a willing victim."

Several minutes passed before his face finally softened. I watched as his focus fell to my mouth. Parting my lips, I slowly dragged my barbell across my bottom lip; Jacob's eyes followed its path. I couldn't help but smile; men were so easily distracted. Maybe now we could finish what we had started earlier.

Lunging forward, I toppled both of us backward onto the forest floor. Once he had air back in his lungs and his surprise wore off, we picked up right where we had left off.

This time everything was slow and deliberate. Every caress and touch of Jacob's made me feel beautiful, loved and worshiped. I didn't deserve this man.

* * *

I shook my fur out; now that my hair had been cropped, I wasn't snagging myself on every damn branch. Thankfully, it was just Leah in my head today; I wasn't in the mood to keep my thoughts guarded. Being she-wolves did come with some special abilities the guys didn't automatically get. It was much easier for us to guard our thoughts while were phased, and in the scheme of things it was a huge advantage, especially when your imprint is your Alpha.

_What's up, my sister wolf?_

_Eh, hashed out some past drama with Jake._

_Oh? Don't relationships just suck?_ Leah was loping gracefully through the underbrush, and her long strides didn't falter as she easily cleared a dry creek bed.

The thing I loved most about being in wolf form was the speed, far better than even riding a motorcycle. I pulled my thoughts back into my own head and the path in front of me. My paws barely tore into the earth as I ran, and the trees blurred by me as I raced to catch up with Leah.

Another bonus of being a late phaser, I didn't have much I had to learn first-hand. Any learning curve my other pack mates had, I essentially had it too, except instantly with no trial and error. It had been like watching an instructional video in 3D plus taste and smell features to go with the surround sound. Within just a few hours of phasing, my brain had been filled with the borrowed memories and thoughts of all my pack mates. My body tingled with the physical echoes of hunting, shredding and burning various bloodsuckers I had never actually seen. Running, jumping, tracking, and everything essential for destroying a vampire had come practically pre-programmed into my wolf psyche.

Being a werewolf was nothing like learning to ride a bike, though. The whole first phase experience was a lot like having migraine fuel directly injecting into your cerebral cortex while you studied for a bar exam and competed in a triathlon. Intense.

The hardest part had been the phasing back and forth between forms. Luckily Leah had come home early from her family reunion in order to help me during my transition. She had been so ecstatic to have another female wolf; she had worked with me for a solid two days, practicing phasing over and over. Without her it would have taken me forever to get the hang of everything. Obviously, I wasn't as smooth as Jake –no one was– but it wasn't hit or miss like it had been for me several days ago.

_You're welcome for that by the way. I think you owe me dinner or something._ Leah's wolf grinned at me as we both exited the trees across from each other.

_I still can't get used to seeing myself like this. It's so bizarre._

I stared at my wolf form though Leah's eyes. My fur was white, but just like Embry, I had some dark 'beauty spots' as Leah called them. Everywhere I had a piercing or a tattoo my fur became flecked with black. So along my spine, ears, underbelly, and along my muzzle my white fur was marbled with black.

_I'm just jealous you got to be white. I wish I could have been white!_ Leah's wolf stuck her tongue out between her canine teeth.

Lolling my tongue out at her, I rolled my eyes. _We're wolves Leah. Gray is a far more practical color anyway. If you showered me with a bit more black paint, I'd be a glorified Dalmatian!_

_Whatever, SnowWhite. We're running the perimeter, then calling it. I have a date tonight, and God knows Jake wants to see you sooner rather than later._

_Yeah. He's stopping by later this evening after he gets off work._ If I hadn't been covered in fur I would have blushed. I knew Leah caught a brief glimpse of my all too short escapade with Jacob this morning; the memory jumped to the forefront of my brain before I could lock it down.

_Eww. He's not my imprint, Cas! Though seriously, maybe once you two actually do the deed it'll keep your lust in check. It's all about the mating imperative you know. It sure doesn't look like y'all hashed out too much this morning, either!_ Mid stride, Leah turned her head and winked at me.

After nearly avoiding a collision with a tree, I forced my thoughts back to my run and the scent of the forest. If I was going to do anything productive today I needed to keep mating and Jake as two separate thoughts in my head for the remainder of the day. Leah chuckled in my head.

_So, Leah, tell me about your date?_ It was Leah's turn to almost hit a tree.

* * *

I was just stepping out of the shower when Embry's house phone rang. Wrapping the towel around my body, I jogged into the kitchen. Maybe it was the hospital finally calling to set up a job interview.

"Call residence. This is Cassie," I said, as I doodled on the note pad under the phone the silence on the other ended stretched forward. "Hello?"

"Hey, beautiful, I wasn't expecting you to answer." My heart lurched in my chest. Surely it wasn't him.

"…Brent? How did you get this number?" I whispered into the receiver, hoping I was wrong, but knowing I wasn't. The voice on the other end chuckled, confirming my suspicion.

"Cassie, I had to talk to you again. You have to give me another chance..."

"Well, talk. I'll give you five minutes…starting now." I glanced at the clock on the microwave planning on literally counting down the minutes until I could hang up.

He paused briefly probably to gather his thoughts. Idiot. Hopefully, he paid someone a lot of money to track me down. He probably just bribed Sarah, or maybe he slept with her to get it. I shuddered at the thought.

"I've changed, love. I promise. I've got everything in order, and I'll sign with RedBull next month. You know that'll be huge, and we could buy another house…Plus, I heard you found your long lost brother, or something? I'd let him could come visit, no problem..."

"What about her?" My eyes narrowed, as the image of the two of them going at it on the kitchen counter was brought to the forefront of my memory. I cringed, snapping the pen in half between my fingers.

"Who? Oh, Crystal? She's long gone! I swear. She didn't mean anything to me. You know you're everything to me!" I rolled my eyes, yeah all your checking account, maybe. My ex's voice oozed with confidence as he continued, "plus, I just got this new car. You'd love it. It could be my turn to take care of you. You'd be happy, anything you'd ever want I could give you. I'd let you go to school if you wanted, or travel. Anything you want, just come back."

His time was about up. "Brent, why did you really call?"

"You need to know you can come back to me anytime. No hard feelings. All your stuff is still here anyway, it would be so easy to go back to the way things were…"

I interrupted him; he wasn't getting it, "Brent, I'm happy here. My family's here and I'm building a future here. I don't care about my stuff, sell it. We're not supposed to be together. What we had was in the past, and I don't want any of it back."

"Now wait just one second, love. I know you don't mean that. Let me come see you, and we'll talk…I have the money to pay you back…"

I cut him off again, time was definitely up. "Brent, don't ever come here. I don't want to see you. Keep the money; it was a gift. Please don't call here again." I inched the phone back toward the receiver, but not before he spoke up again.

"But...in two days I'll be in Seat..." I hit the end button before he could finish. Ass.

How dare he call now, and try to butt back into my life when everything was finally getting better. Jerk. I stormed back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. Jake was going to be showing up soon.

Just thinking of Jacob put a smile back on my face. How had I ever lived without him?

I glanced in the mirror, missing my long hair. Even with everything the last few days had held I couldn't regret my decision. Just like I had told Brent, my future was here. My everything was here, nothing would change that.

Every second I was away from Jacob it felt like an eternity. My being ached for him; I couldn't live without him. Maybe I shouldn't get a job, I'd just hover around him all the time like the lovesick puppy I am. I grinned at myself, Jake would love that.

My face fell as my train of thought flashed back to my phone conversation. Jacob and I were going to have to talk, and soon. The chances of my past popping up were slim, but he needed to know. My family had a right to know. It just wasn't going to be simple. I didn't want anything to change. Everything was perfect right now, and they wouldn't look at me the same. No one does when they know.

The sharp knock at the door ripped me out of my thoughts, and a smile was back on my face. I could deal with the past another day. My future was at the door, and I practically skipped to go open it.

* * *

AN:

Thanks to halobabe22 for voting on white as Cassie's fur color – I hope you don't mind I tweaked it a bit ;)

I've noticed a slight drop in reviews as of late…I don't think I'm doing anything different, but … holler if I'm majorly sucking or something, okay? Your input gives me ideas and keeps me motivated to keep writing! Sorry to dump another OC in here, he has a brief role to play.

I have been pondering an outtake or two…thoughts or ideas on what you'd like to see covered that I haven't so far?

Thanks to PTB DreaC and Robotprospektor for wading through the grammar of my chapter. Some days I swear I'm more competent than others, really!


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended. The original character and plot are the only things that are mine.

Chapter Nine

I grabbed the laundry basket out of the hall and gave Embry a brief wave before turning and heading toward my room. The laundry soap over powered Jacob's scent that still lightly clung to his shirt I was wearing. My stomach ached for him; it still hadn't gotten any easier to be a part.

With my free hand, I gathered the hem of my shirt and brought it to my nose and inhaled deeply. The rush of _him_ instantly calmed my nerves and grounded me back to reality. I'd taken to wearing his shirts to bed over the last few days. Granted, it was a temporary fix, but they seemed to help. I hadn't had a single nightmare since I'd started wearing them.

I heard the front door click behind Embry as he left for work, and I had just managed to dump my clean laundry into a pile on my bed when I heard the front door open again.

"What did you forget this time, twin?" I called out smiling to myself; Embry just wasn't a morning person. When he didn't immediately answer my interest was piqued, and I cocked my head to the side listening to the movement coming down the hall but not turning. The stealthy footfalls weren't Embry's; what was Jake doing here?

Jacob's delicious smell melted my insides seconds before his warm arms snaked around my waist. I leaned backward into him. With my head still tilted to one side, Jacob's tongue wasted no time in finding and dragged a slow circle underneath my ear, which sent tremors down my body.

I sighed. "Good morning to you too," my voice was low as I turned to face him, so I could wrap my own arms around his neck. He didn't answer me immediately, but stared intently into my face. I pulled back just slightly. "What is it?" Something was bothering him.

Jacob opened his mouth, but didn't speak right away. I ran my hands up and down his back trying to comfort him in the best way I could now.

"Carlisle called last night…Sam and I are going over there in about an hour to discuss treaty stuff…Bella will be there." His voice was quiet and his thoughts were already a long ways away.

"Oh…" I dragged my nails along his back and then down his arms, successfully bringing his attention back to me before I continued, "I will be here when you get back." Jacob gave me a small forced smile. "Do you want me to go with you and hold your hand?" I smirked at him, finally earning a true smile from him.

"Naw…I think I can handle it, being the big strong Alpha that I am and all." His eyes twinkled.

"Uh-huh. I know you can handle it. Don't worry about her, right now. Just be here with me, okay?" I traced my finger over his bottom lip. He sucked my finger in between his lips as his eyes significantly darkened. My heartbeat sped up in my chest. Jacob pulled my body completely flush against his. His attention was definitely completely focused on me now.

"You look really good in my shirt, you know…" His low husky growl reverberated in my chest as he lifted me up allowing me to wrap my legs around his waist as our lips met.

His kisses were urgent and heated as his lips devoured mine. My body temperature soared as his hands roughly roamed over my exposed skin and tangled into my hair. He growled as he tossed me onto the bed, so he could yank his shirt up and over his head. His gaze dragged heatedly up my body before he crawled onto the bed and parted my legs with his knee. My body shuddered and I growled as Jacob lowered his head and dragged his teeth along my neck and down along my collarbone.

An hour wasn't going to be nearly enough time.

* * *

Patrol had been rather uneventful. Jared normally wasn't overly chatty, but the ring he bought for Kim had been burning a hole in his shorts for a full day. Going over all of his various proposal schemes for the last few hours had left me drained. Kim didn't strike me as someone who would be all that picky about what flowers he gave her or where they would eat dinner. Whatever. He hadn't actually wanted my opinion anyway; he just wanted a sounding board.

Maybe I'd have a message from Jake on my phone. He should have finished up his meeting with the Cullen's hours ago. Maybe I'd just swing by the garage in a bit. I wasn't going to be able to wait until dinner to see him. If I could squeeze in some more lovingly affectionate time then the bomb I planned to drop on him and Embry tonight maybe wouldn't sting so much.

I could hear Seth speaking as I ran my fingers through my hair checking for leaves or twigs before walking out of the trees bordering my backyard. Whoever Seth was talking to he was really excited to see. Just as he asked them for an autograph the visitor's scent hit me square in the face. _He_ was here.

I hissed out a breath as my whole body tensed, and I paused mid step. I'd have to get better control before I faced him; I couldn't afford to lose control and phase in front of him.

What the hell was Brent doing here? Did he want to die!

There could have been no doubt in his mind that I hadn't wanted to see him again after what he had done to me. I'm a pretty clear communicator, and the last time we had spoken I straight up told him I didn't want to see him. Ever again. If our phone conversation had been too complicated for him, the last time we had seen each other should have been a big clue. Even through all my obscenities and tears I had communicated quite clearly that I was leaving him then.

He sure as hell better have a damn good reason for showing up now. It had been six months since I had come home to find him buried in some naked blonde's cleavage in our kitchen, six months since I had moved out of our condo, and six months since I had seen him. Through everything he hadn't even been the least bit apologetic to me. Typical, self-centered jerk.

Life had always been one big joke to him, and I should have known better. My puppy love and unadulterated infatuation had blinded me from the beginning, and kept me from seeing his glaring faults. Maybe in some way I had gotten what I deserved, but even so I had definitely learned from my mistakes and moved on. He wasn't going to screw up my life again. After several calming breaths I resumed my trek toward Seth and my ex.

Seth's words choked off mid-sentence as soon as I was visible from the driveway. Smart boy. My fists were clenched at my sides as I rapidly strode toward them; my body language would have been a good indication to even the densest of people that Brent was no friend of mine.

Physically, Brent hadn't changed. His flawlessly highlighted blonde hair had been styled to perfection, idolizing the windblown-and-just-had-sex look. His dark washed jeans were creased down the front and his white Armani polo was immaculate. I almost threw-up in my mouth as I scanned his face. His features were too perfect, his shaped eyebrows framed his deep green eyes, and his lips were formed into the ultimate bad-boy smirk. He had even straightened his nose, so he now looked like he had been cut straight out of some fashion magazine editorial. How on Earth had I ever found him attractive? My stomach seemed just as confused as my brain as it lurched and soured as my steps brought me closer to him and his expensive pheromone infused cologne. Disgusting.

Seth's gazed jerked between my angry flushed face and Brent's stupid slack-jawed perusal of my form. As Brent leisurely dragged his gaze back up my body, his eyes narrowed as he took in what I was wearing, Jake's oversized shirt hung far enough down my thighs that it almost covered the pair of shorts I had on. Had he been expecting me to dress up for this occasion? Brent mistakenly opened his mouth to speak as I stopped several steps in front of him.

"Obviously, Cas, you do at least realize you don't have to dress to impress anyone that lives around here. What does your brother think of you wearing his shirt around as a dress?" His question hung heavy in the air.

My eyes narrowed, and my teeth ground together before replying. "This isn't Embry's shirt. It belongs to my new boyfriend, Jacob." Brent's jaw tightened as my words sunk in.

"Well gee, Cassie, I'm so glad to see you spared no time in going on the rebound. Tell me, does your new found fuck buddy have anything to actually offer you? Or is he as well off as your brother?" His eyes flicked disdainfully to Embry's double wide trailer.

My fist connected with Brent's face before he could even move his eyes back to me. There was a nice resounding thwack as my ex's head snapped backward before he crumpled to the ground - knocked completely unconscious.

The bones in my hand didn't even ache as I glared down as his still form and carefully shook my right hand out. Had I still been human I probably would have broken my knuckles with the force behind my blow.

Seth's eyes were wide as he leaped to get between me and Brent's pathetically-prostrate body. His hands were on my shoulders in an instant, restraining me from continuing my forward movement. Apparently he didn't want me to commit murder on his watch.

My eyes flashed to Seth's deep brown ones.

"Holy Shit, Cassie!" Seth's eyes were still as wide as saucers, and his voice came out several octaves higher than normal. "Breathe! Oh my God…shit…" His eyes flicked over his shoulder to Brent's still form. Even though I was positive his command to breathe was directed at me, I'm pretty sure he could have used a few calming breaths of his own.

I forced myself to inhale deeply and close my eyes, which helped calm my flash of anger further. Several seconds passed before I looked back at Seth and with a small smirk I dramatically rolled my eyes. Seth was more worked up and upset over this than I was.

"Crap. I'm not going to phase, Seth. I promise. He just needed to shut the hell up, and you can't tell me he didn't deserve that. He totally had that coming…" I trailed off, looking around Seth's broad shoulders to the sprawled and motionless Brent. The damp mud had already begun to seep into his designer clothes. Perfect; served him right, dumbass.

"Cassie! You just punched Brent McCullin in the face! Brent McCullin, who just won the AMA Superbike world championships! He's the first rookie ever to get signed straight over from privateer to Ducati's racing team. Fuck…I should just be thankful I already got his autograph, I guess." Even though Seth was still glowing from meeting a world class motorcycle racer, I could have sworn he looked a bit pale. You would think I had just punched Gandhi or something. I rolled my eyes him.

"I know who he is. Brent and I are old _friends_." The words rolled bitterly off of my tongue; I thought I had been on my way to completely bleaching all memories of Brent out of my brain.

"Friends, huh? Yeah, right, Cassie. Before you knocked him out, he said he came to pay you back and apologize for what happened between the two of you that made you leave him. You know, Brent had nothing but really nice things to say about you." Seth raised one of his eyebrows questioningly at me. He was looking for a far more detailed explanation than I was going to give him.

"Yeah, I'll bet he did. Ass." I spit in Brent's general direction, and the projection of my saliva drew my attention to the ostentatious vehicle parked in our driveway. My eyes widened, as I took in his gleaming-carbon-black limited edition Aston Martin DBS. Wow. Brent was apparently doing quite well for himself now.

Seth followed my gaze to the car, a huge goofy smile back on his face. "Nice ride, huh?"

I nodded, stepping over Brent to make my way to his car so I could run my fingers gingerly along the perfectly sculpted body panels.

Stroking the hood lovingly, I spoke out loud, "This baby's V12 engine can accelerate from 0-60 in 4.3 seconds, has 420 foot pounds of torque and has a top speed of 191 miles per hour. It's just…gorgeous…" I was practically panting as I tried to reign in my worshipful thoughts of Brent's Aston. Forcing myself to step back, I glanced at Seth who was nodding, agreeing with the insane power and class of the car in front of us. The car was threatening to cloud my judgment, which is probably exactly why he had brought the damn thing. I growled at that thought, turning to scowl at my still unconscious ex-boyfriend.

"How much do you think he paid for that car?" Seth's question redirected my brain back to the damn car.

"No idea, but several years ago the baseline models were going for about $270,000."

"Damn," Seth whistled out. "And he owes you money?"

I snorted in response. "Brent wasn't always so well off."

A low groan emanated from my ex before I could elaborate on his history. Crap. What was I supposed to do with him now? Seth's cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Hello?"

I knew the voice on the other end. Awesome. If he were to show up, the situation would definitely get much better.

"Yeah, I know! It's totally him, and I just got his autograph!" Seth excitedly bantered into his phone. I had to resist the sudden urge to punch Seth in the throat. Gah.

"No…he's not going anywhere for a bit…Yeah…Naw…Cassie knocked him out cold." Seth snickered, but managed to duck as the rock I threw at him sailed harmlessly over his head.

I inched over to Brent, who had gone suspiciously silent, as Seth continued his conversation.

"Yeah…She has a mean right hook. They used to date apparently, and I guess it didn't end well." There was silence on the other end before I heard the dial tone, and Seth cleared his throat before snapping his phone closed.

"Jake's on his way."

This time it was my turn to groan. Could this get any worse?

Seth laughed. "Jake is a bigger fan of Brent than I am. He's the one who got me hooked watching the races on TV a few years ago. You know, I'm not sure the term 'fan' even covers it. Jake more like idolizes him."

I stared wide-eyed and open mouthed at Seth. "You're kidding, right? Please tell me you're kidding?"

"Nope." Seth popped his "P" before a huge smile bloomed on his face. "This could get really good. I think I'll stick around."

This time the rock I threw hit him square between the eyes.

* * *

After Seth and I dragged Brent to the porch step and had him somewhat upright, he started to come to. He moaned and groaned for what seemed like an eternity before he finally opened his eyes.

"Ugh…What the hell happened and where…am I?" Brent managed to ask without slurring his words together, which was a very good sign; I hadn't caused any permanent brain damage. I squatted down so we were at eye level with one another.

"You showed up unannounced at my door and were an asshole. You're now sitting on my brother's porch because I punched you in the face and knocked you out." My tone was even and cold. Brent had long since lost his right to my empathy. He glared at me; his pupils appeared to be the same size, which was perfect. It meant no long term head injuries. Good, he could drive his happy ass back to California or where ever it was he came from.

Brent gingerly ran his hand along his jaw, which was already starting to redden and swell.

His eyes narrowed further at me. "You didn't use to be a bitch, Cassie." Seth planted his hand firmly on Brent's shoulder locking him in place as he attempted to stand up.

"Easy, tiger. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, again." Seth chuckled quietly.

I smiled sweetly at my ex, as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The crunch of tires on the gravel carried up the street as Embry's truck turned off the main road.

Seth's head cocked slightly to the side as seconds later the truck came sliding into the driveway behind me. Jake had his door open before he had even shut off the engine. Brent's eyes widened at Jacob's form entered into his view, and I couldn't help my smile.

Brent's eyes cut back to mine as Jake walked up behind me and wrapped me in his arms.

"Who's the fucking grease monkey?" Brent spit out. Jake stiffened behind me and my gaze hardened. It was one thing to insult me, but an entirely different thing to insult my imprint.

"Jacob meet Brent McCullin. Brent this is Jacob. The term you used earlier, Brent…'fuck buddy,' I think it was…Yeah? This would be him." Brent gave Jacob the once-over with his nose scrunched as if he smelled something vile.

"Cassie, seriously? This is the best you could come up with, a wrench head? C'mon, babe! Forget this loser." His mocking tone didn't escape Jacob's attention.

Jacob let go of my waist and stepped around me before Brent could comprehend the movement. He grabbed a fistful of Brent's Armani shirt and yanked him upwards until his feet dangled about a foot the ground. The shocked look on Brent's face was priceless, and so was witnessing his Prada boots kicking futilely at Jacob. Jacob face had darkened considerably, and I'm not even sure he was aware that Brent was kicking him at all.

Oh, damn, he might just kill him, and as much as I hated to interfere, I probably needed to. Snaking my arms around Jake's torso, I snuggled into his back.

"Please, put him down, Jake. He was just leaving anyway."

Jake slightly inclined his head toward me. "You sure?" I nodded against him. "Fine." He turned back to Brent; his voice was low and menacing, "If you say one more thing I don't approve of I'll beat your skull in."

"I'm not afraid of you, you steroid taking piece of shit." Brent glared at Jacob, as he continued to struggle and lash out against him.

"Enough, Brent." I scowled at him as I moved around Jacob, and tugged lightly on the unyielding arm that held Brent suspended. "Jake, please…"

An instant later Brent was dropped unceremoniously to the ground at our feet. It took him about a second to scramble to his feet and put some distance between himself and Jacob, but not before he had caught my arm.

"Cassie, we need to talk."

I glanced down at his fingers wrapped around my wrist; Jacob growled and moved forward. Brent immediately let go of me and took several quick step backwards.

"I have nothing to say to you, Brent," I replied, interlacing my fingers with Jacob's and giving them a gently squeeze.

"Just give me a few minutes, c'mon, love…please? I came all this way..." Brent's term of endearment earned him another menacing growl from Jacob, and he paused slightly before continuing, "Just talk to me…I just need a second. Please."

I turned back to look at Jacob, who was glaring daggers at my ex. "Please let me take care of this, Jake. Can you just give us a few minutes?" After ripping his eyes off Brent, he looked at me long and hard. As his jaw clenched and unclenched his grip on my hand tightened.

Bringing our joined hands up to my mouth, I gently kissed every one of his knuckles. "Please, Jake. I'm not going anywhere, I promise."

Brent scoffed from behind me and Jake eyes flashed back to him. I moved myself back into his line of sight. "Just a few minutes that's all I'm asking."

"Why do you need any time with him, Cassie?" Jake growled at me, just low enough so Brent couldn't hear.

"Jake…he was a big part of my life for a long time. Let me hear him out and then he'll be gone, okay?" I found myself crushed against Jacob's warm body in an instant, and his soft lips found my left earlobe.

"Fine. But you have exactly two minutes until I'll be forcibly removing him and his expensive damn car off of my reservation." His low growl in my ear sent shivers down my spine.

"Okay." I managed to coherently mumble out before Jacob released me and stepped back to stand next to Seth with his arms crossed tightly over his chest. I could feel both of their eyes on my back as I approached Brent.

Next to his passenger side door there were several boxes of what was apparently the stuff I had left in our condo. I stood silently watching him as he pulled my old motorcycle helmet and jacket and laid them on top of the pile. He gently closed the door before casually leaning against his Aston and glaring at Jacob.

"What do you want?" Brent turned back to me and his eyes softened. I don't think he had ever looked at me with that much affection before, even when we were together. What game was he playing at? I managed to keep my face void of emotion; whatever he was trying to do wasn't genuine, but his act wouldn't work on me the second time around.

Brent cleared his throat and dropped his eyes to the ground in front of my feet. "I came to apologize…and well…pay you back."

His voice was low; he probably thought he was out of Jacob and Seth's hearing range. Oh how little he knew.

"Listen, Cassie…I know you're still upset, but I never meant to hurt you...When you left I lost everything. We were so perfect together, and I by no means did intentionally act…"

I held up my finger to stop him from continuing. "The only thing you regret is getting caught." Brent clenched his jaw and he twitched from the pain. "Brent, I don't care about you anymore, and I don't care who you spend your life with. Thank you for bringing my stuff up, but you need to leave - now."

He took a step forward as if to take my hands in his, but he thought better of it, and his arms dropped heavily to his sides.

"Please, don't be like that! I need you back; life sucks without you there!" His eyes pleaded with mine. "Just give me one more chance, love, please! I'll get you out of this god-forsaken area, and we can just go back to the way things were. The cars and bikes, the shop, the sun and beach…Don't you miss it? You have too…I know you do." Brent's voice became quieter as he continued with no response from me.

I kept his gaze evenly. "I'm not the person I was then. I've changed, and I've decided to live my life here. My family and my future are here. Brent, I wish you the best of luck; I know you'll do great things. I told you that from the beginning. You're not a part of who I am anymore."

"Cassie…you can't mean that…You'd give up everything? For what? Some brother that never cared about you before, and some reservation mechanic who probably makes minimum wage! There is nothing here for you! You have to see that!" Jacob's rumble caught his attention and he dropped his voice back down to a begging whisper. "Cassie, I can give you everything you ever wanted. Come back with me. This is your one chance to pick the life you should have."

His time was up. "I am sorry, Brent, I really am. I couldn't go back…I'm truly happy here, nothing you have and nothing you could say will convince me to leave. This is where I'm supposed to be. Good bye, Brent, I do wish you the best." My voice didn't even tremble, I thought it would be harder somehow, but I literally felt nothing for the man in front of me. His faced clouded over with emotion, before it hardened in anger.

Brent glared over my shoulder at the other two guys. "Fine." He ripped a crumpled piece of paper out of his front pocket and threw it on the ground at my feet. "We're done then. Don't come crying to me when your life falls apart." He stomped around to the driver's side of his Aston and opened the driver's door to get in.

"You're making a very big mistake, Cassie," Brent spit out, getting in and slamming his door.

The Aston's engine purred to life, and the passenger window rolled down. "You're being really stupid, you know. The only reason any of _them_," he angrily gestured to Seth and Jake, "pretend to care about you is for your money. You deserve what you're going to get living in this shit-hole. Good luck with your dead-end life, Cassie!" His engine roared as he dumped the clutch and the tires spun as he pealed out of the driveway, showering me in gravel.

"Asshole." I said, glaring at the retreating dust cloud.

Seconds seem to turn into minutes before I heard the gravel crunch behind me.

"What the hell was that about, Cas?" Jacob asked bending down to pick up the paper Brent had tossed on the ground.

The check crinkled as he slowly unfolded it. It was now or never; I hadn't wanted him to find out like this. Damn it all to hell. How was I going to fix this? God. I should have seen this coming; I had known something like this would happen if I didn't tell them. Brent was right; I did deserve whatever happened here.

"Jake...there are a few things you should probably know…I've been meaning to tell you…" His sharp intake of breath cut me off.

"Cassie, this is fucking check for a hundred-thousand dollars! What the fuck aren't you telling me!"

* * *

AN:

Sorry, for the slightly longer wait for an update…I was having uh…technical difficulties and communication break downs…yeah...

Thanks to everyone who reads, and wolfy kisses to those of you who review! I really love knowing what you think, or what you'd wish I did or didn't do. Love, love, love it!

I have attempted a lemon *gasp* It's a OS involving Embry, but if there's an interest I might post it. Let me know –thumbs up or down- if you have any thoughts about this new can-of-worms I'm opening!

-wolfy kisses and much love-


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended. The original character and plot are the only things that are mine.

* * *

Chapter Ten

Brent's dust had started to settle. I turned to look at Jake, but he was still staring at the crumpled check in his hands.

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you sooner, Jake. It wasn't my attention to keep it from you; I swear…I just was afraid it would change things."

He roughly shoved the check into my hand before he turned away from me and started walking back to Embry's truck.

"Jake, wait! Please don't leave, I can explain!" I started to follow him, but he glanced over his shoulder once he got even with the side of the truck.

"I'm not leaving. You're coming with me. Get in the truck." His voice was completely flat, and it hurt my heart to hear it.

Seth gave me a small, apologetic wave as he turned and started walking toward the woods. The look he gave me before he vanished from view wasn't an encouraging one. Great.

Jake's door slammed and the truck engine roared to life, so I quickly got in and shut my door. The silence as we drove toward his shop seemed to echo in the cab of the truck. Every rock that hit the underside of the truck made me jump in my seat as my nerves became more and more frayed.

"What are you thinking, Jake?" I watched his handsome face for any clue of what was going through his mind, but his Alpha mask was firmly in place, and I had a feeling it wasn't moving anytime soon.

He didn't answer, so I tried again, "Please talk to me, Jake…I'm really sorry."

The truck jerked and the tires squealed as he pulled into the parking lot of the garage. He slammed it in park and was at my door a second later. He grabbed a hold of my hand and practically dragged me through the open bay and toward the back of the shop. The garage was unnervingly empty and silent; I didn't see a single person as Jacob yanked me through deserted bays and toward the rear of the shop. Had Seth beat us here and warned everyone? I didn't get a chance to process the lack of activity further because I was lurched to a stop. Jacob stood motionless in front of a worn blue tarp, which covered something leaning up against the cement back wall.

I turned toward Jacob to open my mouth, but he yanked the tarp off, revealing a meticulously restored early 1990's black Harley Sprint. Why was he showing me this?

"Is this yours?" I managed to squeak out; as he turned toward me his normally handsome features skewed, marred by his anger and frustration.

"Yes, Cassie, this is _my_ motorcycle," he ground out through clenched teeth, wrenching the tarp back over it.

"Okay…it's a nice bike, Jake. But I don't understand…I didn't know you had a bike." My forehead creased. What was he doing?

Jacob growled before turning and pulling me by my arm out a side door and briefly up a flight of stairs. Stairs, I assumed, which were leading us to his apartment. I had been hoping for a while he'd show me his place, but I had always pictured it being under slightly different circumstances. We reached the top of the stairs and he jerked the door open causing it to ricochet violently off the wall. The open doorway revealed my ideal of the perfect apartment, and I followed Jacob inside.

It was neat but lived in. There were various posters and pictures on the walls, but everything was classic and screamed Jake. I was immediately at home, with the classic but modern furniture and the images of cars and motorcycles on the walls. The appliances in the kitchen were fairly new, and the living room was cozy and practical. A small hall led to what looked like a bathroom, and maybe two bedrooms, but the doors were closed. After my brief inventory of the apartment, I turned back to Jacob.

"Jake, why are you showing me this? Why now?" My confusion was evident in my voice.

"Cassie, don't you get it! This is all I have to offer! This is it, everything I have! Everything I've worked my entire life for. I'll never be able to leave La Push; this is all I'll ever be. " His eyes burned into mine as he released my hand and it fell limply to my side.

I fumbled to grab his hand back, but he stepped away from me. My eyes burned as I tried to fight back the tears threatening to fall.

"I don't understand. This is perfect and wonderful. This is all I've ever wanted!" I waved my hand around at his apartment. "You're perfect for me, Jacob, please…believe me when I say that. You're everything to me! I don't care if I had to live in cardboard box! I'd do it for you in a second; I'll do anything to be with you…Please, Jacob, tell me what to do! I need you…I can't…" My voice faltered as my tears started rolling unbidden down my cheeks. How could he think I cared about stuff or money?

He mumbled almost inaudibly, "I have nothing to give you. I'll always be the leftovers."

What on earth was he talking about? Leftovers! He was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was silent for several seconds just staring at him, trying to process where the hell that was coming from, because it wasn't just from Brent.

Bella. He was comparing me to _her._ How dare he! My emotions surged and I know my anger flashed across my eyes as my jaw clenched painfully.

I glared at him as I bit out, "I am not _her_, Jacob Black. Don't you dare compare me to _her_! I have never once compared you to an ex! Give me a freaking break!"

Jacob's eyes narrowed at me, which just spurred me on. I poked a finger into his hard chest as I took a step toward him.

"And don't you dare insult yourself in front of me ever again! You aren't anyone's leftovers!"

Jake's fist came down hard onto his countertops and I felt the impact reverberate all the way into the floor through my feet. There's that temper he had been working so hard to mask.

He ground out, "I know you're not Bella. I'm not fucking stupid."

Ugh! I wanted to scream.

"Then stop acting like a moron and prove it! Call me when you're ready to act like a grown up!" I spun sharply on my heel and had his front door yanked open before he reacted. And oh boy did Jacob react.

His hot hand clamped firmly on my shoulder, and he forcibly spun me around before I could even blink. I stepped backward and the front door slammed with the force of my awkward movement as my back rammed against it. Jacob's eyes were flashing as his hands slammed onto the door on either side of my head. He was so close to me now I could feel his warm breath on my face and my stomach flopped as my heart rate increased.

"I wasn't finished…" He growled out, his voice low and dangerous.

My eyes widened before I caught myself and narrowed them again. Jacob was freaking sexy when he was mad. My chest vibrated with a muffled growl of my own.

"Go ahead then; you have my undivided attention."

I couldn't help it I had to touch him. My hands snaked out to wrap around his waist and pull him toward me. Once his body was flush against mine, I threaded my fingers into his belt loops to hold him in place.

Jacob's eyes bore into mine for several seconds before his hands fell away from the door to roughly grab my hips. He ground against me and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped my lips. God, I wanted him.

"Pay attention, Cassie…" I forced my eyes back to his smoldering ones. "I _know_ you're not Bella." His fingers slipped under the hem of my shirt to roughly caress the burning skin of my sensitive stomach. It took all my focus not to arch into him, but instead I took a deep breath and kept still.

"I'm _really_ pissed you didn't trust me enough to be honest with me." Jacob growled out, lowering his head to drag his teeth along the lines of my neck. I opened my mouth to speak, but he continued.

"I'm even more pissed off that I didn't break all of Brent's fingers and both of his arms for touching you in front of me…" Jacob's teeth sank into the tender flesh on my shoulder and I hissed out a groan. "You're mine. Is that clear?" I could only nod my head; all of my focus was on the man in front of me. Nothing short of a nuclear disaster could change that. Oh God; he wasn't done with me yet.

"Do you know what I'm _really_ angry about, Cassie?" He didn't give me a chance to answer. "I'm really angry that you know what I'm thinking better than I do, and you've only known me for a few weeks."

My knees went weak as he slowly dragged his tongue up my neck from where he bit me to the pressure point behind my ear.

"Jake…I'm sorry I didn't tell you…" I trailed off panting, as his hands made their way over my hips to cup my ass. He roughly squeezed me before lifting me up, allowing me to wrap my legs around him and grind the center of bodies together. Jacob's chest rumbled, as he growled against my throat.

"And…"

I swallowed hard. "And it won't ever happen again." What did he want me to say?

"What else, Cassie? What else should you be sorry for?" Oh God, with his teeth kneading my earlobe I could barely think straight.

His hot breath on my neck sent shivers down my spine. A single moment of mental clarity and I smirked as I dragged my nails up under his shirt and across his back.

"Oh…" I pretended to think for a moment. "And…I'm not sorry for calling you out on being juvenile and comparing me to an ex."

Jacob's growl would have been menacing if I didn't know better. With the hand he had threaded in my hair, he yanked my head to the side exposing my neck completely to him. His teeth grazed the surface of my tender throat as he spoke his voice low.

"Wrong answer."

Whoops. Sometimes it totally pays to get a wrong answer. When he bit me this time, I felt tingles all the way down to my toes and back; I allowed my body to arch completely against his.

I tugged at the hem of his shirt and he yanked it over his head in one smooth motion, only breaking contact with me for a second.

When he came back to me, our lips crashed together with such emotion and force I felt dizzy as my head hit the door behind me hard. I wove my fingers through his silky hair and attempted to pull him even closer against me.

* * *

My stomach rumbled and brought me back to reality. It had been at least two hours since we had eaten, and God knows we had burned off a few calories.

I smiled up at Jacob. He had one arm tucked lazily under his head and the other he had wrapped gently around me holding me against him as we lay on his bed. His thumb was tracing circles along my hip.

"I am sorry about this morning."

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "I'm not. Someone had to make an honest woman out of you."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh please…But for the record you can make an honest woman out of me whenever you see fit." I winked and him and snuggled closer to his body.

"Is that so?" Jacob's hand had stopped moving on my hip and my body was instantly disappointed.

"Uh-huh. Anytime, anywhere, I'm yours." I closed my eyes and just breathed him in.

His arm tightened around me briefly. "Damn straight you are."

We were both silent for several minutes, just enjoying being together.

I had finally made up my mind. I was going to tell him; I had wanted to tell him today before everything went south, anyway.

"Hey, Jake?" I opened my eyes and tilted my head slightly off his muscled chest so I could see his face.

His eyes blinked opened and met mine. "Hey, Cassie." He smirked down at me.

I took a breath, and his face became serious as he heard my heart beat pick up its pace.

"I love you." There I said it. His eyes went wide and his gorgeous mouth dropped open for a second before he recovered, and the biggest smile I think I'd ever seen blossomed on his handsome face.

"Oh really? Is that so…" His eyes were twinkling.

"Yes, you ass." I glared at him briefly before laying my head back on his chest.

I could hear the air entering and exiting his lungs, as well as his heart beating in his chest, and I couldn't help my smile. This was a perfect moment, even if he was purposefully dragging it out.

Jake cleared his throat and I looked back up at him through my lashes.

"You know, I love you too."

It was my turn to have a stupid insanely huge grin bloom on my face.

"Good."

Jacob's chest moved under me as he chuckled.

* * *

I was in Jacob's kitchen with my legs dangling over the countertop and my feet lightly bouncing off the cabinets below, when I finished calling in our pizza order and hung up the phone.

Jacob emerged from his bathroom a minute later, dripping wet and wearing only a pair of cut off shorts. He must have seen me licking my lips because he winked at me before swaggering into the kitchen to join me.

I smiled sweetly at him as he parted my legs, so he could stand between them.

"See something you like, Cas?"

I batted my eyelashes and made a show of raking my eyes over his naked torso, as I dragged my fingertips over his perfect abs.

"Sure, but I was really thinking about the pizza that's on its way."

When Jacob's smile morphed into a pout, I couldn't help my giggle. When I planted a kiss on his lips, I felt his pout shift back into my smile, and I pulled away.

Then his face grew serious and his eyes were far away.

"Cassie…Honey, I don't deserve you. You have to know that. I needed you to see that. I can't buy you nice things, I don't even have my own car, and I don't have anything to offer you." His voice was so low I could barely hear it even with my wolf genes.

How could he have such a skewed image of himself? Everything about him was perfect. I thought we had moved on and away from this crap.

I sighed and his eyes dropped from my face. "Jake...Jacob, look at me." He slowly moved his eyes back up to meet mine, and I placed my hands on either side of his strong face.

"You are _the_ perfect guy for me. You have everything I've ever wanted in life. Everything. You're smart, strong and incredibly sexy." I leaned forward to kiss his nose. "You've made really good decisions; you're a great leader and an awesome friend. There isn't a day goes by that I regret having met you; I didn't have meaning in my life until I met you and fell in love with you. You're the only person on this planet that can complete me, and I'm honored to be considered yours." He blinked at me, and when he opened his mouth to speak, I kissed him hard on the lips.

I didn't stop kissing him until his body relaxed into mine. His eyes opened and searched my face as I pulled away, but he didn't say anything for several seconds. I took a breath to speak again, but he placed a finger on my lips.

"Shush for a second."

We sat perfectly still for several minutes. His finger never left my mouth and I was beginning to wonder if I would have to revert to sheer physical violence in order to knock some sense into his thick skull. Jacob needed to be aware of how truly wonderful he was, and I'd do whatever it took to make him realize that.

"I'm sorry for overreacting. Do you forgive me?" His voice came out broken and raw as he spoke.

"There's nothing to forgive. Will you forgive me for being a stupid and cowardly girl who was afraid to be honest with her imprint?"

He was silent for several seconds before he moved to take my hand in his larger one. Jacob ran his thumb over my knuckles before he sighed.

"You shouldn't be afraid to tell me anything, Cassie, ever. I'm really am sorry for reacting the way I did." His gaze held mine.

"Once people know, it changes things. They look at you different; I thought that's what was happening. I couldn't take that chance here; I can't lose what I have." I chewed on my bottom lip before bringing up my thumb to gnaw on it instead.

"It won't ever happen again, I swear. I just wish you had told me in the beginning."

My eyes dropped to my lap. "I'm sorry, I mumbled out, embarrassed that I had been so chicken about the whole stupid thing.

He surprised me by tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and tugging my thumb out from between my teeth. He cupped my face gently into his palm, and his thumb outlined my lips before a smile broke across his face. My Jacob was back again.

"So…how much money do you have?"

I gave him a small smile. "Seriously? You want to know?"

He flashed me a huge grin. "Well…hell yeah I do!"

I nipped at his thumb that still was hovering around my bottom lip.

"You sure? You promise it won't change anything?" I asked my tone serious, but he just rolled his eyes at me.

"I swear and promise on my life, it won't change anything between us…Except maybe you'll be paying for all of the pizza from now on." He was solemn and straight faced as he spoke, and it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"When my adoptive parents died, they left me everything they had, so when I turned eighteen the State turned it over to me…"

Jacob interrupted me, his leg bouncing with anticipation, "Yeah…And?"

I blew up my bangs; I should be worried on how he was going to take this, but his excitement was giving me a false sense of security, wasn't it?

"My dad was an investment banker for a fortune 500 company, and both of my parents were trust fund babies..." I paused as he motioned for me to hurry up, and began drumming his fingers on the counter on either side of me. I finally gave in and continued, "I have just over two million dollars in the bank. Eh, about two and quarter million actually. Some of it's been invested, of course, and obviously I've paid for my college, my truck and stuff…"

"Holy shit." Jake whistled out; his eyes wide.

"Yeah…I know…" I stared into his eyes, looking for some small sign that his view of me had shifted now that he knew this one insignificant figure. It meant nothing to me; I didn't want it to mean something to him.

"Hey…"Jake squeezed me knee reassuringly, "I was just thinking you could do a lot on the Rez with that kind of money…that is, if you wanted to, of course."

"Oh yeah? Is that really what your first thought was?" I smirked at him, a look of guilt briefly flashed across his face before he winked at me.

"Honestly my first thought. Was 'fuck! That's a shit-ton of money!'…So, it was more of my second…or third thought."

"Uh-huh. What about those other thoughts you had after your initial 'Oh my God' and before your uncanny ability to be self-sacrificing?" I raised an eyebrow at him, challenging him to be honest.

"Uh…does it matter?" Jacob ran a hand nervously through his now almost dry hair, and was suddenly very interested in the cabinet directly above my head.

"Not really, I'm just curious." I leaned forward so I could wrap my arms around him and lay my head on his chest.

He was silent for a few seconds before he spoke, "I was thinking I've always wanted a cool car, and I'd love to remodel my dad's house."

It was my turn for my eyes to widen. Jacob never ceased to amaze me, even in his brief lapse of selfishness, his family and people came first. He truly was a good leader. I hugged him and planted several kisses on his chest before I leaned back and met his eyes. It was time for a subject change, and I was dying to know how this morning had gone for him, prior to the melt down at my twin's house.

"So…anyway. What happened this morning with the Cullens?" I didn't mention _her_ name in case he wanted an out to skip that portion of his morning in the retelling.

Jacob was silent for several seconds, and he seemed to be searching my face for something. I don't know if he saw what he was looking for, but when he finally spoke his voice was quiet and controlled.

"It was really odd…" I brought his hand to my lips so I could kiss it. "You know, I spent years – years- wanting her, and then after everything she picked _him_…My whole world pretty much crumbled with that decision; I couldn't ever picture myself growing old with anyone else. I loved her with everything I had, but it just wasn't enough. It never was…I couldn't compete with him…For years I just _existed_. Nothing mattered to me anymore; I was just like some pathetic puppy dog whose master suddenly kicks them to the curb because they just don't fit into their lifestyle anymore…"

He trailed off with the intensity of his memories, and I interlaced my fingers with his and wrapped my legs around him.

"Then you showed up, Cassie, and everything was turned upside down. My whole world tilted on its axis, and I didn't know which way was up anymore. I never thought I would imprint; it had always been Bella or nothing for me. I never once considered anything else…But everything changed when I met you…You're everything I ever wanted and everything I didn't know I needed…How could I have let myself hold onto a false reality for so long? I mourned over something that was never supposed to happen, and everyone saw it but me…" Jake wrapped his strong arms around me and pulled me closer to him; I moved to rest my head on his shoulder. I stayed quiet, and just leaned against his warm torso, absorbing his heat.

"When I saw her today…I was expecting it to be this huge emotional free-for-all, because that's how it's always been with her, but today it…wasn't. I saw her as just Bella. She's just some shell of the girl I used to love and someone I once dreamed about spending forever with…The only pull I felt towards her was our old memories together. That was it. No horrid sour feeling in my stomach. No reliving her death, the loss of her humanity, or her allowing him to take everything I loved about her and infecting it. It was just me and Sam, dealing with a coven of vegetarian vampires, and one of them just happened to look vaguely like a girl I used to really care about."

He paused briefly before continuing, "Bella's happy with him. They love each other, and I can finally be happy for them…I wasn't being fair to her. Just because she didn't choose me, didn't mean I couldn't just be her friend. That was what she always wanted, and I just couldn't let it go…until now. She deserves a happily ever after too…and she has it, with him."

I planted several kisses along the cord of his neck, as he continued to hold me.

"I was thinking about you all morning while I patrolled with Jared."

"I know. I could tell; thank you." He squeezed me closer into him. "I've never felt that way, Cassie. It was so weird…to be that close to her and not feel overwhelmed. I was at peace being near her, even after everything…" Jake trailed off as he kissed the top of my head. I knew exactly what he meant.

So much had happened today, and I was emotionally and physically drained.

When Jacob's phone lit up and started vibrating in circles on the counter neither one of us moved. Only when it lit up for the third time did Jacob move to answer it.

"What?" he spoke gruffly into the receiver.

I could hear Embry on the other end.

_If you hurt her or upset her, or so much as even made her cry, so help me, Black, I will beat your ass into the ground._

Jacob just rolled his eyes and interrupted my twin, "I apologized. We're fine." He glanced down at me and mouthed, _right?_

I smiled up at him and gave him a squeeze as I nodded into his chest. My eyes had just started to droop closed when my phone blew up from within my pocket. The shrill chime made me jump. It wasn't a programmed number either, according to my ringtone. Who could be calling me?

Leaning slightly away from Jake in order to pull my cell out of my pocket it continued to ring. Finally silencing it, I brought it to my ear and disentangled myself from Jake so I jump off the counter and step out of the kitchen and down the hall.

"Hello. This is Cassie."

"Hello, Cassie. This is Leanne; I'm the HR manager for Forks General Hospital."

My tone changed immediately. "Oh hi!"

I could hear her smile. "I was calling to see if you were available for an interview tomorrow with Dr. Cullen?"

"Oh sure! Of course. I'm available anytime."

"Okay, how about after lunch?" I almost laughed; she had no idea the connotation behind lunch for a vampire.

"Sure. What time?"

After a short pause she answered, "Two-o-clock? Oh and business casual attire is fine, Dr. Cullen is pretty laid back."

"Okay. Sounds good, do I need to bring anything?" A small mammal for dessert? Ugh, I shook my head at my inner monologue.

"Nope. I'll get your information over to him. See you tomorrow."

She hung up before I had a chance to reply, so I snapped my phone shut out of spite. I highly doubted the hospital in Forks was that busy that she needed to hurry to keep herself available. Give me a break. Oh well, at least they finally got back to me.

Jacob was off the phone with Embry and had moved to sit on the couch, his head leaned backward and his eyes closed. I silently stalked over to him, and crawled up on his lap to straddle him. He didn't move, but a smile played across his lips. Leaning forward so my mouth was inches from his ear, I whispered, "We have a few more minutes until the pizza is here. Any chance you want to christen this couch with me?"

* * *

AN:

Sorry for the delay in getting this uploaded. *insert general excuses about work schedule changing here* - Ya'll know I would love it if you took the time to review!

Thanks to PTB Robotprospektor and DreaC!

If you're interested (and of age - of course) I'd love it if you'd check out my first attempt at a lemon. It's an Embry OS that takes place roughly the birthday before Cassie shows up in La Push. It should be up shortly, and linked off of my profile.

Love and *wolfy kisses*


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters and plot are the only things that I own.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

I carefully eased the front door open and, as quietly as I could, gingerly stepped into the dark living room. Embry should still be sleeping, and I really wasn't looking forward to having the "money discussion" with him, too. Ugh. The door latch clicked quietly in place, and I stepped backwards into the living room.

Just as I was about to turn around to creep toward the bathroom, the kitchen lights flipped on, making my eyes narrow from the sudden assault of florescent light.

"Crap! Em, I thought you were still sleeping!"

"I would have been, but I knew you were going to try and weasel your way out of talking to me this morning." My twin's eyes were just as narrow as mine, except he was glaring at me, and not the harsh light.

Rolling my eyes, I started to walk toward him; his nostrils flared.

"You and Jacob made up."

Embry's comment was just loud enough so that I could the clearly detect his underlying growl. He crossed his muscled arms over his chest; it would have been intimidating, if he hadn't been struggling keep the menacing scowl on his face.

I felt my cheeks warm as his insinuation- I knew I smelled like Jake, and…certain activities, but there was no way in hell I was going there with my brother, and definitely not first thing in the morning. Who was he to act condescending about my sexual escapades! He had no room to talk, but, still I dropped my eyes to the floor, as I inched toward him. Before I could dart down the hallway, he raised one of his arms to block the way.

Grinding my teeth together, I met his eyes. "Give me ten minutes, Embry. I'm going to take a shower, then we can talk. Okay?"

He thought about it for a second. "Ten minutes." My twin slowly dropped his arm, and I hurried around him to escape into the bathroom.

After my rushed shower, during which Embry had been giving a loud countdown of my remaining time from the living room; I threw on my bathrobe, and attempted to keep my face impassive as I joined him back the living room.

Embry had moved to lean against the kitchen bar- even with my growth spurt he still was a few inches taller than me- but damn it, he had something else coming if he thought his size would intimidate me. I smiled sweetly at him; it was kind of cute when he got all puffed-out, and put on his big-brother persona.

"Where do you want me to start, twin?" I asked, opening the fridge and pouring milk into my bowl of cereal.

Embry's eyes bore into to back of my skull as I went about slicing an apple, then settled in to eat breakfast. He took a deep breath, and started on me as soon as I swallowed my first mouthful.

"What the fuck, Cassie! This isn't some casual-ass conversation about what shoes you're wearing today, or some shit!" I glanced at him. Was he seriously this mad at me? Crap, it looked like it; the bulging vein sticking out of his forehead was a clue. Even though I knew I deserved this, his words were still going to hurt. Pushing my cereal away, I turned toward him.

"You lied to me; not just me, but to all of us! What other shit have you not told your _family_! News-flash, Cassie, we're flesh and blood! You don't lie to your fucking family, Cas! Ever! I trusted you! I let you live here, under my own roof, and you fucking lie to my face!"

The octave of Embry's tirade lessoned slightly, so I gulped down a drink of orange juice to get ready to defend myself but he continued before I could butt in.

"How did you rationalize not telling us! After everything we've gone through in the last few weeks! Ugh! I just can't believe you!" Embry sat down hard onto the barstool next to me, causing the wood to creak. He was staring at me hard, and his expression was completely unreadable. When I had been preparing myself to tell him, I hadn't expected him to react like this!

I was silent for several seconds, while I tried to strategically plan out my response. I met my twin's eyes.

"Em, look, I'm really sorry for not telling you from the beginning…The whole time I've been here, I've struggled with it. I was going to tell you…" Embry rolled his eyes dramatically. "Really, I was. Then Brent showed up and brought everything out into the open. I had no intention for anyone to find out that way. I swear I was going to tell you yesterday, but then everything went to hell."

Embry held up his hand, and I paused. "So, Seth wasn't shitting us when he said you used to date Brent McCullin?"

Chewing on my lip, I nodded. My twin continued. "And _he_ would be the reason you know a little something about motorcycles?" I just nodded again. "And…he was paying you back for what, exactly, Cas?"

My sigh blew up the hair that had fallen in my face.

"I helped him get into racing. We met back when he was a privateer; he was really talented on his bike, so I let him borrow some cash to get a rig, a few extra motorcycles and stuff."

Embry wasn't looking at me anymore; he was focused intently on the Formica counter top, so I just stopped talking.

"You don't just give someone one-hundred grand out of the kindness of your heart," my twin spat, as if he was trying to hold back.

I turned my chair to face him directly. "Well, maybe I do! I had known him for a while…we were close; he needed the help so he could do what he loved. I was happy to help him out, and he has done really well for himself. He wasn't always the asshat he is now, okay?"

My temper was beginning to simmer. Stupid werewolf hormones! I clenched my fingers around the spoon I was holding and the sterling silver bent into an angle.

"Whatever, Cassie. I don't really care about what you Brent had; I just can't believe you weren't honest with me!" He still wasn't looking at me, and my hands started shaking I was so upset. I couldn't believe Embry was being such a dick about this! This wasn't like him at all.

I narrowed my eyes. "Listen, Embry! I-am-really-sorry! I _was_ going to tell you, but money is _the_ sensitive subject around here. Surely you have a small inkling why I didn't want to bring the issue up!" The memory of him casually assuming I was only here for our dead mother's estate flashed to the forefront of my brain. Maybe he needed a trip down memory lane too!

Embry snorted, and his body started shaking with repressed giggles. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eyes, and then burst out laughing. My mouth must have dropped to the floor, because when he saw my expression my twin practically fell out of his chair hooting and snickering. He had been screwing with me the whole time! Unbelievable - and I had totally fallen for it!

I punched him hard in his shoulder; the resounding _thwack_ made me feel a bit better. Embry's grin just widened, as he pulled me into a hug.

"I was just kidding, sis, I promise I'm not mad! A bit disappointed, but I'm not angry."

"You're an ass," I managed to grumble into his ear, a small relieved smile crept onto my face, as he continued to chuckle. Acting was apparently one of Embry's many talents. Jerk.

* * *

The hospital seemed quiet, even for a weekday, but, then again, I was used to the emergency rooms of San Francisco, where on weekends, the ERs were so full of patients they'd spill out into the ambulance bays.

Underneath the sharp smell of bleach and disinfectant, the hint of vampire assaulted my sensitive nose. Even with just the slight undertone of my enemy, my body was on high alert, and hyper-sensitive to every movement and every human breath being taken in the lobby around me.

I continued to walk briskly through the well-lit, if not slightly out-dated, waiting room, while I attempted to force my body to relax. Several deep breaths later, I reached the information desk.

"I have an interview with Dr. Cullen, at two o'clock." The blonde receptionist briefly glanced up and took in my appearance, before her gaze dropped back to the computer screen in front of her.

"Ms. Call?" she asked without even looking up, and I just nodded.

She looked at a jumbled mass of multi-colored post-it notes stuck next to the phone, and then back to her computer monitor, before turning her attention back to me.

"Dr. Cullen's office is on the second floor, but the in-patient waiting room is being remodeled. There's a nice sitting area on the patio adjacent to his office; his secretary said you should wait for him out there."

At least the patio would, in theory, give me some fresh vamp-free oxygen.

"Okay. Thanks," I said, briefly nodding my head to the already distracted receptionist.

After walking leisurely up the stairs, and through a small corridor of shut office doors, I finally found my way to the small balcony the receptionist had called a patio. You could tell someone had big plans for this space, once upon a time. On top of the plain cement tiles was a hodgepodge of hand-me-down patio furniture, and the one lone potted plant was barely hanging on to its miserable life.

Walking over to the rickety railing, I leaned as far over it as I could without managing to scare the people milling around in the parking lot below, and closed my eyes. Several minutes passed, and I focused on the outdoor smells trying to calm my inner wolf before I had to interact with my enemy.

As soon as the patio door opened, I knew it was a vampire; his footfalls were almost completely soundless, and I was sure whatever sound he was making was solely for my benefit. When I turned to face him, he opened his mouth to speak.

"Cassandra Call, I assume?" Dr. Cullen gave a genuine smile and held out his hand to me.

"Dr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to meet you." I smiled and briefly shook his hand. Even the short contact of my hand with his sent tremors up my arm and made my skin crawl. This meeting was going to be a lot harder than I thought. I took another involuntary step back from the Doctor and forced myself to breathe through my mouth. God, his stench was so potent, I wasn't sure my nose would ever recover.

"The pleasure is all mine; welcome to Washington. If you're not opposed to the idea, Cassandra, I thought we might just hold the interview out here. I think we will both be a bit more comfortable." Dr. Cullen gave me a small smile, and I couldn't help but smile back; he was just as genuine as everyone said he was. Maybe I could get through this, after all.

Dr. Cullen's sandy blond hair was immaculately styled, and was his white lab coat tailored? Wow. If he hadn't been my arch-nemesis, I may have found him attractive in a past life. Being visually appealing must be a vampire thing. It would be a lot easier to attract your pray, if they wanted to be caught. I shook my head, trying to keep my thoughts from reverting to the images of the leech on the beach that had wanted me for breakfast. Meeting the doctors amber eyes helped me refocus; right, he was a vegetarian bloodsucker.

"That would be great, Dr. Cullen. Thank you. I'm still pretty new at this, and being so close is a slight challenge." I forced a smile. "No offense meant…I probably smell just as bad to you."

He flashed me a perfect smile, that I was sure would have been absolutely stunning to any normal human, but it sent warning vibes straight down my spine. His shining teeth were designed to tear though flesh. Jeez. I wove my fingers together behind my back and squeezed them together until it hurt in an attempt to distract myself. My inner chant of _"t__he Cullens don't eat people; they just kill Bambi's mom. It's fine. It's okay. Don't phase-" _was interrupted by Doctor Cullen.

"Cassandra, would you like to take a seat, or would you be more comfortable standing?" Dr Cullen gestured to several iron chairs, arranged facing each other, but a good distance apart.

"I'll try sitting." Try was the operative word.

Sitting as far back in my chair as I could. I tried to relax; gripping the hell out of the iron armrests seemed to help. Breathing through my mouth made me feel like a fish, but it lessened the overpowering stink, and helped me to win the fight against phasing and trying to kill the good doctor.

"So, Cassie, why don't you tell me about your work experience?" Dr. Cullen gave me an encouraging smile, as he sat as far away from me as possible, and casually crossed his legs.

"Okay." I met his genuine face and tried to picture him as a human; that seemed to help calm my inner wolf further. "I got my associates degree and passed the NREMT paramedic licensing test several years ago. The San Francisco Ambulance service hired me right before I finished my degree, and I worked for them until just a few weeks ago. All of my licenses are up to date, and there shouldn't be any problems with them carrying over from California. I looked into all of that briefly, before moving up here."

Dr. Cullen made several notes on his pad, in perfect loopy script, before glancing back up at me.

"When are you due for your Department of Transportation refresher?"

"Next January. I have copies of all my certificates, if you need them." I chewed on my bottom lip and tried to take shallow breaths, while I waited for his next question.

"Oh, that won't be necessary. Leanne included all of them in your file for me." He tapped the brown folder under his notepad with his pen. "Do you have any leadership experience?"

"Yes, actually. Since I was one of only two EMT paramedics based out of our main hospital, I was acting lieutenant during most of my shifts. I also was responsible for teaching all of the recurrent training to the basic, enhanced, and intermediate EMT's at the hospital."

"I bet they were very sorry to lose someone with your experience. Which hospital were you based out of, Cassandra?" Doctor Cullen tented his fingers in front of him, and gazed intently at me.

"Mostly San Francisco General, but sometimes, I got stationed at UCSF Medical Center as part of their relief shift."

Dr. Cullen nodded. "San Francisco General is a level I trauma hospital, correct?"

"Yes it is."

"I have a good friend, Doctor Sagewrath, who works in the ER there. He had nothing but glowing things to say about you." I smiled. Dr. Sagewrath had been one of my mentors. "He mentioned you were a fill-in paramedic for their Flight-For-Life team?"

I nodded. It was a good sign that he had already called my old boss, right?

"Yeah. I only filled in for a few shifts for them but, if I had stayed in California, I would definitely have tried to get on their full-time team."

Dr. Cullen laughed lightly, "Well, I am sorry to say we probably won't ever have a Flight-For-Life helicopter based here, and the nearest level I trauma hospital is in Seattle, but this isn't a bad ER to work from."

"I've been pretty impressed with everything I've seen so far." For an older hospital in the middle of small-town Washington, it was above and beyond what I expected. Having a gracious vampire donor as your key supporter definitely had its upsides.

Dr. Cullen gracefully stood, and gestured to the door. "Would you like a tour?"

Getting a tour was a really good sign, and I couldn't help that the smile on my face grew.

"Of course! That would be nice." I stood and followed Dr. Cullen into the building, after taking one last huge gulp of fresh air.

There wasn't much to see, but the hospital had everything it needed, and everyone was very nice. It helped that they all seemed rather dazzled by Dr. Cullen's presence. Every interaction with a human left me wanting to shake my head. If they had any idea…Being able to dazzle your pray into submission would be very beneficial, plus it would keep things from getting as…messy, if there wasn't much of a struggle. Damn it. I just couldn't shake the whole bloodsucking murderer thing!

Luckily, Dr. Cullen was introducing me to some of the ER staff, and pretended not to notice when I took an involuntary defensive step toward the guy whose hand I was shaking. Once again, my wolf was trying to wedge me in between the vampire and the humans. It got awkward.

I wanted to roll my eyes at the guy who was shaking my hand, as he took my advance as just that, and grinned widely while glancing down at my chest. _You don't stand a chance, buddy_. I thought to myself as I squeezed his hand a bit harder, making him wince.

Eventually, we found ourselves back in the lobby, after I had met all of the fifty employees of the hospital. The ambulance that wasn't out on a run was in decent shape, even if it was just a basic-life-support system unit. It was newer than what I was used to, and all the equipment seemed to work -which was a nice bonus. But now came the potentially awkward 'how'd the interview go' conversation. Dr. Cullen stopped walking just inside the main lobby, in a mostly abandoned alcove near enough to the front doors that the fresh air circulated around us. It helped ease my overly frayed nerves from being inside with a vampire for almost forty minutes.

"Cassandra, why don't you come in on Friday morning? That's when we have our quarterly meeting. You'll be able to meet everyone and I can get you connected with Richard. Richard is leaving us and moving back to England to be closer to his family. You would be filling his spot as lieutenant, if that is okay with you? I was planning on having you shadow him for a month, or so, until you're comfortable, then you can step in when he's gone."

A huge smile blossomed on my face; I got the job, and not just any job, but the lieutenant position. Holy crap!

"Everyone under you has considerably less extensive experience. Richard is our most senior EMT- though he only has a little over two years' experience - and all of his work has been here. I think you will bring quite a lot of knowledge and skill to the team."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen! I really appreciate the opportunity. I can't wait to get back into this."

When I shook the doctor's hand for the second time, my urge to kill him was barely there. We were making progress!

Giving a small wave to the oblivious receptionist, I told Dr. Cullen I would see him on Friday, and then practically skipped out into the parking lot.

As soon as I dug my phone out of my purse to call Jake, it rang. Leah. Oh, here we go. Holding my phone carefully away from my ear, I climbed into my truck, waiting for the verbal assault to begin.

"Hey, Leah. What's up?"

"_Don't you 'what's up' me, sister!"_

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Sheesh. Already I was feeling like a broken record.

"_You should be sorry! I ought to kick the crap out of you!"_

I started my truck and shifted my phone to my other ear. "If it would make you feel better, go ahead."

There was a short pause. "_Oh, _please_, Cassie. I just have one question for you"._

"Okay, Leah…"

"_You have all this money, right?…Are your Jimmy Choo's real?_

I snorted and glanced down at the phone, like that would somehow confirm for my brain what I just heard.

"Yes, they are real. Umm…why?"

"_I'm borrowing them indefinitely." _

Smirking, I started my truck and pulled out of the parking lot to head back to La Push.

"They are all yours. So, the second date went well?"

"_Of course it did! I'll be at your house at five; you're helping me get ready. Tonight is the night."_

"The night for what, Leah?" I asked, but only the dial tone echoed in my ear. At least she wasn't mad at me, and now I got to call Jacob. My huge smile was back on my face as I dialed the garage.

Maybe I could get some semblance of a normal life back. Whatever normal was anymore.

* * *

AN:

If you're still reading you'll be happy to know even though I thought of bagging this whole dang story…I didn't. My melt down was part of the reason this chapter took so long to be uploaded. Hopefully the worst is over. Thank you for hanging in there with me! *wolfy kisses*

Huge thanks to Leanne Golightly and Lauren (TaysWifey) for pre-reading and beta-ing the hell out of it! Much love to you both! Robotprospektor, my grammar beta didn't have much to do after they got through pelting me with commas, tenses, and semi-colons!

Check out this marvelous Fan Vid the lovely Ms. Golightly created for this story!

http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=Ib8xuVuN1rs


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations (They ARE NOT MINE). No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters and plot are the only things that I own.

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

Leah held up two pairs of shoes in my general direction, and I rolled my eyes; we had been at this for almost an hour, and she didn't even really like the guy. I obviously was missing the point.

"The copper ones will look nice with the purple."

"You sure?" Leah asked, putting a shoe from each pair on a foot and standing in front of the mirror. She took turns standing on one foot then other while chewing on her lip.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Okay. The flats will make us closer in height, anyway. That's important to some guys, right?"

I just nodded, covering a fake yawn. Leah just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Where is he taking you, anyway?"

She looked at me in the refection of the mirror. "Probably the Lodge; he's looking to get some, tonight."

My eyebrows rose at her statement. "And…will he be getting some?"

The mischievous grin on Leah's face gave me my answer.

"So, let me get this straight. After two decent dates, number three is the deal breaker, but will still get both of you laid?" Leah nodded; I continued. "And you're still going to break it off with him afterward?"

Before she answered, she dug through my make up until she found the lip-gloss she wanted.

"Yep. He knows he's only the rebound; I've been honest from our first date. Maybe, if the sex is good…"

"Leah!"

"What?" She glanced back over her shoulder at me. "I'm serious. This is what I want, Cas, I've been a bitter wench for too long. I think a good thorough fucking is exactly what I need."

Before I could respond, Embry muted the television and yelled through the wall, "If this human 'tard isn't good enough in the sack, Leah, all you have to do is ask!"

My mouth dropped open; I was speechless. Unbelievable. However, when Leah didn't make an immediate retort my eyes narrowed and I found my voice.

"Don't you even think about screwing my twin, Leah."

Leah yelled back at Embry before returning to my closet, "What makes you think I'd give your tiny dick a chance at a second round?"

I stared open-mouthed at her back, trying to force the mental denial I so desperately wanted into my brain -it didn't work. She had clearly implied there had been a first round between her and Embry. _Oh, God, this wasn't happening_.

"Do you have any silver hoop earrings, Cassie?"

Leah's abrupt change of topic was welcome, but her quiet tone solidified my train of thought. _Ugh_. Those two having sex was a mental image I could have lived without.

I rubbed my temples and sighed. "My hoops are in the top drawer of the jewelry box."

* * *

The front door finally clicked closed, and I released a huge sigh. Did every family have this amount of drama? God. I still couldn't believe that my new female best friend had slept with not one, but both of my brothers! How does that even happen? La Push wasn't _that_ small but, then again, my family was pretty good-looking. Oh, jeez. I forced myself to get up off the bed and started straightening up the clothing disaster than Leah had left in her wake.

_Apocalyptica_ was blaring so loudly out of my speakers that I barely heard Jake come in. The immediate calm that washed over me was my first clue that he was close. He turned down the music and just raised his eyebrows at me.

My face contorted as I wrinkled my nose. "Did you know about Leah and Embry?"

He was able to choke off his fit of laughter when I glared at him. Jake cleared his throat and tried to make his face serious.

"Yeah." He tapped his temple with a finger. "Pack mind, and all."

My shoulders slumped -some things were better off not being confirmed.

"When?"

Jacob chuckled at my discomfort, but came over and wrapped me in a hug before he answered.

"Oh, maybe a year or so ago. It was just harmless sex, Cas. I don't think either one of them thought it was more than that."

"Still…" I managed to mumble into his shoulder, and his chest vibrated with silent laughter.

"Welcome to Rez life. I think you're officially part of the family now."

I didn't immediately respond; Jake's comment had successful derailed my thought process, but sparked a whole new one.

"When are you going to introduce me to your dad, by the way? Or are you afraid he won't like me?" I asked, pulling away slightly so I could see his face.

Jake paused for a second. "He gets back from visiting my sister on Sunday, and I know he would love to meet you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I need to talk to him first though." He moved closer to nuzzle my neck with his nose.

Hugging him to me, I snaked my fingers around the waistband of his shorts to his back.

"What do you need to talk to him about?"

"It's just been a while since we've talked. We had a bit of a falling out before he left for Hawaii and I need to apologize. But, after we've talked, I would love for you to meet him."

My eyes widened. "I didn't know Rebecca lived in Hawaii."

"Yeah, she turned down a scholarship to move out there. She fell in love with some professional surfer, got married, and they just had twins. Rebecca's husband just won some surfing contest, so they were able to afford to fly my dad out there to meet his grandkids."

"That's fantastic! We'll have to go visit them sometime. I've always wanted a reason to go Hawaii." Grinning up at him, I saw the amusement in his eyes. Jacob changed the subject before I could ask about the falling out he had with his father.

"We have three hours before you start your patrol with Paul..." When his lips met the curve of my neck he trailed off, and his tongue left a wake of warmth as it made its way to my ear lobe.

"Mmmhumm." I mumbled, closing my eyes and allowing my hands to drop below his waist and settle on his firm ass. Squeezing, I tugged his body against mine and smiled. "So, did you want to watch a movie…or play a video game?"

He didn't even pause, but instead, walked me backwards until the back of my knees bumped into the side of my bed. Jake gave out a frustrated growl when I remained standing, but his hands kept moving and neither did his lips. His mouth moved from my jaw to my lips, and he kissed me hard before pulling back just slightly. We were so close together our noses touched.

"Do you seriously want to watch a movie?"

I had to bite my lip in order to keep my huge grin at bay. Moving to sit on the bed, I tugged him between my legs and my hands moved slowly back around his waist, so my thumbs could trace the perfect teasing "V" that disappeared down into Jacob's shorts. Meeting his eyes, I inched closer to his hard and chiseled stomach until my mouth was flush against him. After lazily drawing my tongue along the lines of his muscles for several moments, I pulled back.

"I might be able to think of something else that would be a bit more fun, what do you think?"

The heat between us flashed, as my fingers found themselves at the waistband of Jake's shorts.

* * *

I leaped up and around the boulders as I made my way up the steep incline. There was nothing that could describe the power of my wolf body; I wasn't out of breath, and not a single muscle burned as I reached the summit.

_You don't have to run everywhere, you know._

I rolled my eyes at Paul's comment, before taking in the view; the Pacific looked like a sculpted piece of smooth glass from this distance, and the salty undertone in the air was barely evident.

_I happen to like running, Paul. Maybe if you tried it, you'd lose some of your beer gut. _

Paul snorted._ I don't have a beer gut. _I waited for his biting return comment, but it didn't come.

I just managed to loop around back toward the Rez when it hit me. I was near to the Cullens' territory, so the undertone of leech was a constant in the air, but this was fresh. Potent. Slowing my pace, I inhaled deeply, letting the odor permeate my brain and burn my nose. It was Bella -and she was close.

Paul interrupted my thoughts. _She's probably looking for Jacob._

_No kidding, Paul. I figured she would be looking for you! You and her go way back, right?_

My strides slowed as Bella's smell burned like acid through my nostrils and down into my lungs.

_I wonder what the hell she wants? She's finally been leaving him the hell alone and letting him live his life. _

The dense trees in front of me gave way to a small clearing, and in the very center stood Bella. She was perfectly still and didn't even bother to blink as I inched into the open space. Apparently, they saved the human façade for public interactions only.

_Let's just go see what she wants, huh?_ I stopped within ten feet of the treaty line and sat down facing her.

Bella didn't move, but her eyes widened just marginally. We sat in silence facing each other for several minutes, before I cocked my head to the side.

_Is she always like this?_ I questioned Paul.

_No idea. I've always tried to keep my interaction with her to a minimum. I never had any use for her and, frankly, she irritates the hell out of me._

_It blows my mind that you might not like someone, Paul. _Cocking my head to the other side, I snorted, breaking the awkward silence_._

_Just because you and Leah are pals now doesn't mean we need two sarcastic bitches in the pack._

_You like it, Paul, don't kid yourself. _My mental conversation was far livelier than the female standing in front of me.

Bella finally moved; it was barely noticeable but her shoulders straightened up, and then she spoke.

"I've…ah…been meaning to meet up with you again, Cassandra. Would you mind if we talked for a bit?"

_Seriously? What on earth do we have to talk about?_

_You could tell her how awesome Jake is in the sack._

_Oh, shut it, Paul. I'll be right back. If something comes up, howl or something._

Paul snorted from the other side of the Rez_. I could take care of anything that might come up, Cassie. Good luck with Hells Bells._

Moving back into the trees, I phased, yanking my short dress over my head in a quick practiced motion, before I reemerged and slowly walked back toward Bella.

An awkward smile contorted her perfect features as she looked at me. I didn't smile back; what you see is what you get.

"Is there something you need, Bella?" My tone was _almost_ cordial, but I was pretty certain my body language was betraying me. Every hair on my body stood on end.

She was quiet for several seconds, before she dropped her gaze. "I love Jacob."

Her words were so quiet I had barely heard them. Surely I had heard her wrong, because why the hell would she say that to me? Did she want me to kick her ass? My fists clenched behind my back. I didn't reply and she didn't look up, but stammered onward.

"When we kissed, I mean…when I let him kiss me…I…I meant it." Bella looked up at me then; her eyes were filled with such sadness that I almost felt a little sorry for her. _Almost_. It was a battle to keep my face impassive, but I wasn't nearly as good of an actor as my twin. I bit down hard on my bottom lip, and kept myself from screaming at her to get to the damn point.

Why can't exes just be that? Exes. They might physically leave, but you're never truly rid of them, and Bella needed to spit out whatever she needed to say before I said something rude.

"Jake told me once that he would be my friend… that he wouldn't ask for anything else…" Her pause was awkward and drawn out, as the image of Jake lying broken in his bedroom after the fight with Victoria's newborn army surfaced clearly in my brain. I felt ill, and wondered if Bella had any idea that I was privy to their private moment.

Finally, she continued. "He never did…after that…ask for anything else. Sometimes, I wish he hadn't given up so easily; I wish I hadn't pushed him away, but it was for the best…" The silence stretched between us again, and Bella played awkwardly with her manicured nails. "He was my natural path, you know…He loved me, but my love for Edward was so different, so perfectly consuming…Jake and I could have been happy together; he was my soul mate…in a different reality…"

My arms were trembling; I was so frustrated. Why the hell was she saying this to me?

When I took a step forward, Bella took a small one back. My emotions were as clear-as-day on my face, which was good. I didn't want there to be any confusion.

"Listen, Bella, I know you and Jacob had a very intense and meaningful relationship. I don't doubt that he _loved_ you; I know he did, with all his heart. But _you_ made your choice, and the choice _you_ made hurt someone who _I_ love. Someone I love more than anything else in this entire world. If you so much as inhale wrong and it hurts him again, I _will_ find you and I _will_ destroy you. I won't care about the treaty, or your little coven, or even your history as a human. If you hurt _my_ Jacob again, it will not end well for you." My ground-out threat ended with a menacing growl that came from so deep within my chest it burned.

If it wouldn't upset Jacob, I'd rip her to shreds right now -and she knew it. Bella took another step away from me; this one was substantially larger than her last retreat.

"I know…"Again she paused, and toyed with her nails. "That's why we're leaving." My eyes narrowed; I didn't believe her. "Our time here expired years ago, and I need to let go of my past. He deserves to be happy, with his…" Bella gestured to me weakly, but didn't finish her sentence. Maybe "imprint" was too intimidating of a word for her. "We're leaving, and we won't be coming back in your lifetime."

My clenched fists loosened ever so slightly. "Have you told him?"

Yet again, her gaze moved but didn't meet mine. "No, Carlisle was going to."

"_What?_ He deserves more than that, even from you!" The words came out just as harsh as I hope they would, as I continued to scowl at the top of her bowed head.

She took another step back and moved as if she was getting ready to make a run for it, but she paused. The seconds felt like an eternity before she spoke again.

"You're right…I should…I should tell him…" Bella turned, and looked over her petite shoulder at me before whispering, "You know, I'm jealous of you, Cassandra…"

I interrupted her -this conversation needed to end, "You made your choice, Bella. You didn't love _him_ enough, remember? You decided your future; you couldn't keep them both to yourself for forever."

Her eyes flashed with an emotion. Was she finally done wallowing and getting upset?

"Edward was always what I wanted, Cassandra. Nothing ever changed that..." Her almost sharp tone receded back to the quiet, melancholy singsong voice of hers. "I just miss the best friend I had to give up for the existence I chose."

I nodded briefly, acknowledging that I had heard her. Then she was gone, and I was left standing in the middle of the clearing. What the hell had just happened? I wracked my brain trying to come up with the point she had been trying to get me to understand. Maybe she was just trying to frustrate me to death with her pointless musings?

The only clear image that kept repeating itself in my brain was the image of my Jake beat all to hell after risking his life for _her_. Jacob lying in his bed, feverish with the overwhelming pain of his countless broken bones, and she did nothing but pour salt in his wounds. My bottled-up emotions bubbled over and I punched the nearest pine tree, obliterating its trunk with the force of my blow. _Bella comes here, wastes my time and makes me relive one of the most painful memories my imprint ever had -How dare she._ I was seeing red, and no amount of deep, calming breaths were going to help me regain control over my emotions.

Finally, my anger and frustration subsided, and I looked around at the demolished pine trees that had absorbed the onslaught of my repressed feelings, and felt even guiltier for my outburst. I should have been beyond this; I'd been with Jake today, not even five hours ago. Stupid potent imprint and irritating irrational werewolf emotions this was ridiculous. This was ridiculous. I moved to drag my hand down my face to try and manually clear my thoughts but stopped when I caught sight of it.

Blood dripped off my fingertips, even though the lacerations on my knuckles were already healing. My forehead rested against the smooth moss of the large tree I had left standing, and I focused on the air entering and exiting my lungs. It was my fault; I shouldn't have let her get to me. She was just a silly girl who thought she could have her cake and eat it too.

Minutes seemed to pass in slow motion, as I was finally able to get myself under control. I needed to talk to Jacob. Emotional and uncontrolled outbursts weren't acceptable where Jacob and Bella were concerned.

Paul was walking loudly through the underbrush, intentionally I was sure, but it allowed me to take another few deep calming breaths before I undressed and phased.

I could feel his mental nudges at the corner of my consciousness, and I just growled at him when he appeared next to me.

_The meeting went well, then, I take it._

I answered his question with bared teeth and another growl. His dark eyes slowly blinked at me as he surveyed the damaged around us.

_I doubt that these innocent trees deserved to be annihilated, Cas. Though, I do wish I would have been here to witness the destruction. I bet you're fucking sexy when you're mad._

_Screw off, Paul. You'll see what happened eventually, but Jake needs to hear it first. _

We ran next to each other as we completed my section of the patrol circuit. After several minutes of silence, Paul suddenly cut in front of me and stopped, forcing me to look at him.

_You didn't kill her did you?_

_No. It was closer than she knows, though._

_Did you maim her in any way?_

I just rolled my eyes; he let out the breath he had been holding and took a step to the side, so I could get around him.

_Good. Jake wouldn't be too happy about that. Plus, with this whole Treaty thing…_

_I know… I should go with you to your next anger management class._

_

* * *

_

AN:

Thanks (as always) to the lovely, Leanne Golighty for being the best pre-reader and grammar-nazi beta a girl could ask for And Lauren, thanks for tearing my sentence structure apart only to put it back together with pesky punctuation.

Check out the *Original Character Awards* that Leanne and I are putting together! The more people we can get to nominate and vote the better it will be, so please check us out. I'd love you forever! originalcharacterawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com

*wolfy hugs* Thank you for taking the time to read my fic!


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen:

Paul phased back before I did in order to give me some privacy. I had spent the last ten minutes trying to figure out the best way to relay the information to Jake, without spilling the beans to Paul in the process. A huge part of me just wanted to stay phased and take the easy way out.

Pulling my jersey dress over my head, I followed the path Paul had just taken toward the garage. The weekday worked in our favor, and the last customer was pulling out of the lot as I rounded the corner of the shop. Embry was in the process of locking up the front door, and he winked at me as I passed the lobby's windows –I only managed a weak smile in return.

Everyone was waiting for me by the time I entered the open bay doors. Paul was speaking in a hushed whisper to Jake as he wiped the grease and oil off his hands.

The electric jolt I felt as we locked eyes was so powerful that it would have sent me reeling backwards, if the invisible steel cable hadn't been pulling me toward him. Even with the strength of the dual imprint grounding me, the nervous butterflies in my stomach made me feel a bit queasy. At least with the imprint connection, I was able to tune out all the other pack members in the garage and focus solely on Jacob.

The tens steps it took for me to reach Paul and Jake seemed to take a lifetime. What on earth was I so worked up about? We'd talked about Bella before, and now the bitch was leaving –it wasn't a big deal. Why was I making it one?

My lover and alpha hadn't yet made eye contact with me, but as I approached he caught my waist and pulled me to him. The electricity flowing between us instantly calmed me as he turned and spoke to Paul.

"Give us a few minutes alone, and then we'll all meet at the cliffs." Jake's voice wasn't loud, but the underlying Alpha command was clear. Paul nodded, and then he and the rest of the guys disappeared out of the shop.

I waited for another few seconds before I opened my mouth to explain, but Jacob moved first. He spun me around and trapped me between his body and the black Suburban that was up on the vehicle lift. After planting a searing kiss on my still parted lips, he pulled away and looked at me

Smiling up at him, I rolled my eyes. "Are you trying to distract me?"

He grinned at me. "No. You just needed to relax…" Jake trailed off so he could lean in and kiss along my jaw. "If we had more time, I'd give you the full treatment."

My chest vibrated with an exasperated growl; there was nothing I wanted more in that moment than for Jake to…

I squeezed my eyes shut and forced myself to take a deep breath. When I opened my eyes, he was watching me expectantly. "Bella's leaving, Jake. She and her family are moving."

My verbal vomit hung in the air as I watched Jacob's face for a reaction. It took several seconds for my words to sink in, but when they did, his only response was to release a deep breath. I wasn't sure exactly what I had been expecting, but that wasn't it!

My eyebrow arched, and my hands moved up to cup his face when he didn't say anything after several seconds. "Did you hear me, Jake?"

He rolled his eyes at me, before moving his head so that he could plant a kiss on my nose. My eyes narrowed at his continued silence.

"And?" I asked, and Jake gave me a small smile, but expression was distant.

"It's a good thing the Cullens are leaving. They've been here longer than they should have; people are starting to wonder."

"And?"

His eyes became serious. "And…it'll be good for the pack. Maybe some of them can stop phasing, and try to have a normal life…" Jacob's gaze shifted away from mine. "I'll miss Bella…a lot, but a part of me is kinda happy she'll be gone. I won't have to deal with any more awkward meetings or getting evil glares from her husband."

He held me in silence for a minute or two, before I finally worked up the courage to open my mouth again.

"Jake?" I asked.

"Mmmhumm?"

"I got a bit frustrated with her…and was kinda rude." Suppressing a growl at the memory, I continued, "I may have threatened her with bodily harm, but just so you know…I didn't physically hurt her."

Jacob's arms tightened around me —then he laughed! _What the hell?_

"Oh, fuck, Cas! I can't wait to see this! You're freaking sexy when you're mad." He kissed me firmly on the lips, released me from his hug, and then led me outside by the hand so we could go meet with the rest of the pack.

Jacob's kiss had sidetracked me and it took me a few moments to collect my thoughts. I didn't want to phase until my mind was clean and organized.

Less than five minutes later, Jacob and I emerged from the trees in wolf form and joined the rest of the waiting pack. Everyone was there except Collin and Brady —the extended pack was a sight to see. All fourteen of the other wolves registered our arrival and followed our movement with their eyes.

Jacob went to stand at the peak of the circle with Sam; Leah moved over so I could squeeze in next to her. She glanced briefly at me before bumping her shoulder into mine. Her support was appreciated —Leah was going to flip out that she hadn't been there to witness my little incident with Bella. Granted if she had been, I wasn't so sure Bella would have left completely unharmed.

_What the hell, Cas? I'm the pack bitch, don't even try and compete._

Nudging her shoulder back, I replied,_ Our interaction was hardly epic, Leah, though I do wish you had been there. _

She cocked her head and looked at me._ And why is that?_

_It would have been a bit more of a memorable experience for her, I think._

Paul butted in with his memory of the trees I destroyed._ Those trees thought it was a pretty fucking memorable experience._

_And on that note…Cassie, why don't you show us what happened. _Jacob met my eyes as he spoke, and I gave him a brief nod before launching into my memory.

* * *

A Week Later…

Quil and I had taken over patrol for Jared and Brady less twenty minutes ago. I was running the western perimeter and Quil was running the east; we would intersect again in about twenty minutes if we kept up our current pace.

Now that the Cullens had left, our range of coverage had expanded considerably. Despite our territory being almost doubled, there hadn't been anything to report for months.

_How was your first week of work, Cassie?_ Quil asked, as he ran along a rocky pass bordering the National Park.

_Really good, actually. Everyone's cool, and Rich, the guy I'm replacing, has been really nice about everything. Working here is very different from San Francisco, but that's not a bad thing. _I jumped over a small creek. _No stabbings or shootings yet —the most exciting call we got was an eight year old having a seizure._

_Is she okay? _Quil asked as an image of his imprint flashed to the forefront of his brain.

_Yeah, she's fine. She was epileptic, so it was fairly normal for her. It was just a problem with her meds getting out of whack. It was pretty scary for her family, though._

_Man, I can't imagine. Claire will be eight in a few months —thank God, she's healthy! _

_The ten-hour shifts have been rough for Jake and me, but I think there's a chance I'll be able to switch to eights here in the next week or two. So, how does Claire like the second grade? _I asked, weaving around a series of trees.

_Oh, she loves it! She's way ahead of the rest of her class, too, and doing really well in ballet. You and Jake should come to her recital at the end of month. Plus, her mom is thinking about letting her stay in La Push for the summer, which would be awesome…_

Quil's mental barrage about Claire continued for awhile, and I didn't have the heart to interrupt him. Before I could ask when Claire's big performance was, my thoughts were interrupted.

The burn in my nostrils was so severe that I didn't want to suck in the polluted oxygen. Vampires —they were very close.

_This trail is fresh, Quil! Call for help and then get over here. _My paws itched to move, but I stopped and lifted my nose in an attempt to pin-point the stench.

Quil's deep echoing howl reverberated from the other side of the reservation. _I'm on the way, Cassie. Stay there!_

_Oh, don't worry. I'd like to keep my paws attached, thanks. I'll be waiting here until the Cavalry arrives._

I paced back and forth in the small clearing, trying to hone in on the direction the stink was coming from. It seemed to be coming from everywhere! _How did this sneak up on me?_ Vampires don't just fall from the sky.

All of my senses were hyperaware of the close proximity of the leeches, and I fought to keep my wolf in check. It wanted nothing more than to crash into the underbrush and shred some bloodsuckers, but I knew I wouldn't stand a chance against them all by myself.

My subconscious rippled with in the influx of my pack mates, and Quil and I replayed the info we had over and over as each new member joined. Most of Jake's pack was coming, but I still had plenty of time to kill. Suddenly, the breeze shifted and my hackles rose. I wasn't going to be alone in my little clearing for long.

_Hang in there, Cassie! We're coming_. Jake's strong voice echoed in my head as I scanned the forest in front of me and inched backwards.

_Thereb are at least three of them, Jake. Two in front of me and one further back. They're trying to flank me. _Without thinking I altered my retreating steps to avoid getting trapped._ What do you want me to do?_

One of the scents was familiar, and my memory flashed to the second vampire on the beach that had attached me all those months ago. He was here —waiting for me. My growl came unbidden from my throat. I wasn't as fragile as I had been before, but one against three wasn't a fair fight; I didn't have a death wish.

_Get out of there! We'll handle them together when we all arrive.. Run, Cassie! Now!_

I didn't need to be told twice —lurching backwards, I took off at a full sprint. Clearing the huge riverbed in a single leap, I changed directions toward the ocean rather than the village. Even in my frantic escape, the need to protect human life outweighed the importance of my own. Following the rocky riverbed gave me an advantage, and I changed sides repeatedly —trying desperately to get some distance between me and my would-be attackers. The bloodsuckers stayed close on my heels, and the forest groaned around us as we tore through it.

Moving closer to the river, I leaped over the boulders that surrounded it, finally feeling like I had gained some ground. For several minutes, I enjoyed my sense of security until I came to a sudden stop within ten feel of the crouched vampire. _Shit_. My paws skidded in the damp river sand, leaving deep trenches in my wake.

_We're coming, Cas! Hang on. _Several of my pack mates yelled at me.

Growling, I bared my teeth at the leech in front of me, subtlety glancing around me looking for a way out but finding out I was surrounded.

_Hurry, please! _My nose burned with their sickly sweet odor —it was way too close for my liking.

A leech came up from behind me and spoke; I spun to face him. It was _him_. His crimson eyes bored into mine for several seconds, before his face broke in an evil grin.

"It's too really bad about your change, my dear. You probably will not taste nearly as delectable now…It's such a shame. If I had all my pawns in play two weeks ago, I could have had you alone when you left the hospital after your interview. At least then you were in your more appealing form." The vampire's expression turned sour as he scrutinized my wolf form. "Though I must say, even now your blood calls to me. Your very essence speaks my name. " His words hung heavy in the air, but the small hand gesture he gave to his followers didn't go unnoticed. Even though their footfalls were silent, I could sense them getting closer.

"I didn't appreciate your little puppy of a boyfriend interrupting us last time; it would have been perfect, and when he killed poor Horatio that was just insult to my injury. He had such a way with women. The others weren't nearly as useful to my operation…" The leech's head cocked to the side. "Pity, we don't have much time. I really do like things to be a bit more dramatic…" This time his gesture was theatrical and over the top; he looked as though he was going to take an encore bow.

The vampires that had surrounded me converged at once. I dodged one of them, snapping and snarling, and sinking my teeth into a foul tasting limb. The second leech managed to land a solid blow to my head; I saw stars before dropping like a rock into the sand. On my way to the ground, I managed to rip yet another chuck out of the first vampire, and he gave a satisfying scream. As my vision darkened, the vampire who I just taken a bite out of kicked me hard in my left side, and my ribs groaned in protest before they broke. I almost yelped before clamping my mouth shut; they didn't deserve the satisfaction.

_Cassie, we're almost there. Hang on!_

Jake's pleading helped keep me conscious, and I shook my head trying to stay in the present. It hurt, but pain was good; I had a lot more to give out before I would roll over and play dead.

The two vampires circled me like vultures waiting for some overt signal. Their leader had other plans; he took a step forward and slowly licked his lips. It was now or never. I prepared to pounce, but my broken ribs sliced into my spleen. I yelped again —so much for not showing weakness.

_Mother fucker. Get here soon, Jake. I'm getting my ass kicked!_

_We'll be there in two seconds, Cas!_

After taking a slow wheezing breath, I lunged forward and pounced on the leader. My front paws landed on his chest knocking him backwards. Before we hit the rocky sand, I had my jaws around his neck and ripped his head from his torso, tossing it into the woods. The momentum helped me stay upright, but my broken ribs continued to shred into my soft insides.

The blows I expected to come from behind never did, and loud snarls and growls filled the air around me. The satisfying sound of metal tearing and vampires shrieking was beyond comforting. I carefully stepped away from the headless leader to allow Seth and Leah to rip his arms and legs from his body.

_I'll be over here healing, if anyone needs me, _I thought as I gingerly tried to slink up the embankment. I didn't make it, but I got far enough so I wouldn't be in the way. Lying down with my back to the boulders, I watched the fight unfold in front of me with my head on my paws. Now that I was finally stationary my body began to heal itself. My grated spleen burned and throbbed and sharp pains shot up my sides as my ribs mended. Even my skull ached, but with every breath I could feel my body healing itself.

My belly had barely touched the sand when Jake appeared my side. He stood over me with his teeth bared —every muscle in his huge body was tense.

The pack made quick work of the bloodsuckers, and had their bodies piled up and on fire in minutes. As the purple smoke permeated the air around us, I drew a deep breath. My ribs were already knitting back together and the throb of pain was barely noticeable.

The russet wolf next to me finally began to relax; I felt his eyes on me, so I looked up and met his anguished gaze.

_I'm fine, Jake._

He gave a series of low growls as he circled me, prodding my fur every so often with his nose. I followed his inspection with my eyes.

When he reached my head, his eyes locked with mine. Neither one of us blinked, and I opened my mind up to him completely.

_See, good as new!_ I rolled over, showed him my belly, and wiggled my legs in the air haphazardly. The movement wasn't pain free, but considering I had just gotten my butt kicked, I was doing pretty great.

Jake just huffed and lay down, so that his head was across my chest and my beating heart.

_I don't know what I would have done if anything had happened to you, Cas._

I squirmed so that I could lick his face._ Nothing happened._ _Yet again, the big bad alpha wolf got to play hero to the awesome and unbelievably hot damsel-in-distress. I think this the point where you whisk me off into the sunset, and we have our happy ever after._

_Oh? Is that so? _Jacob's wolf cocked his head and looked down at me; his eyes glimmered in amusement.

My tongue lolled out of my mouth as I grinned up at him. _Yep. So, I'm thinking, Hawaii, feather beds, fruity cocktails, and frolicking on the beach…_

_Jesus, Jake. Just mount her already! _Paul teased._ You guys need to either fuck here or go get a room._

_You would like that wouldn't you, Paul? _I asked, moving to stand up.

_Only if I get to watch._ The dark gray wolf turned and nipped playfully at me.

As I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth to retort, Jake cut in, _Thanks for volunteering, Paul. You're on patrol with Quil for the rest of the evening._

_

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_

AN:

Thanks for sticking with me guys! You're all wonderful, I cherish every one of your reads, and your reviews make my day! *wolfy hugs*

AtR has been nominated in the Gem Awards. Voting starts soon! gemawards(dot)blogspot(dot)com/

Much love to Morgan (RobotProspecktor) and my lovely FF wifey Leanne Golighty for betaing the hell out of this and making it so much better! xo


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, items, products etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original character and plot are mine. I am in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise, products or locations. No copyright infringement is intended.

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Chapter Fourteen:

Everyone at work had bought my story about a new insane workout regime being the cause for my random pained intakes of breath and slow movements. It had only been a week since my run-in with the vampires, but other than some minor remaining stiffness, I was back to normal.

I checked myself over in the mirror before leaving the bathroom. There was no blood spatter or any other bodily fluids on me or my uniform—it had been a rather monotonous day. It wasn't exactly attractive when you come home from work speckled with human ooze.

After speaking to the next shift during their briefing, I slipped out of the ambulance bay and started heading for the lobby.

It had been Richard's last week at work, so I was officially the new ambulance lieutenant, which came with the added bonus of working normal business hours and being on call every night and weekend. Nothing major had ever happened, and even if it did, everyone who worked under me was competent in his or her own job. Plus, my work cell fit in my Velcro pouch so I could carry it while on patrol. I couldn't complain—the two halves of my life were fitting perfectly together.

As soon as the automatic door opened and I inhaled the fresh air, the unnatural calm of my imprint washed over me. Peace, warmth, and Jake.

He was waiting for me across the parking lot, leaning casually against the side of my truck with his arms crossed over his perfectly sculpted chest. The dark t-shirt he wore left little to the imagination, as the well-worn fabric beautifully hugged every one of his defined muscles. One of the hospital patrons that was walking out with me audibly sighed as she took in my imprint's form, and my eyes cut over to her before I looked back at Jake. When our eyes met, we both smiled, then his gaze dropped lazily down my body and his smile morphed into a full grin. I rolled my eyes.

Jacob pulled me to him once I was several steps away from the truck. His warm arms encircled my waist, and he gave me a brief squeeze before he pulled back.

"How was your day, Cas?"

I smiled at him. "Better now that it's over and you're here."

Jacob snuck a chaste kiss on my lips, before taking my EMS bag off my shoulder and setting it in the bed of my truck.

"What _are_ you doing here?" One of Jake's eyebrows quirked up at my question. Anything longer than nine hours apart was still tough for us, and our connection was still just as potent as it had been in the beginning.

He pulled me to him, and I felt him inhale against me. "I just missed you, and we finished up a bit early on the transmission rebuild."

"The keys are in my pants pocket if you want to drive us home…" I trailed off so I could drag my barbell along my slightly parted lips. Jake's eyes widened just marginally.

"Which pocket are they in?"

The navy cargo pants that were a part of my EMT uniform conveniently had _many_ pockets, and most of them were located on my thighs, hips, and my ass. I grinned.

"I can't seem to remember—you'll have to search around for them."

It was Jacob's turn to give me a mischievous smile. "Well, isn't that just unfortunate…" His fingers inched around to my butt, and he began to very thoroughly check my rear pockets for my truck keys.

By the time Jacob's burning hot fingers reached my front pockets, I was having to force myself to take calming breaths; he was enjoying himself far too much. We were going to have to wrap this up soon or he was going to have to bend me over the hood of the truck, and I was positive my co-workers did not need more of a show.

When Jake's fingers closed around the keys he slowed leaned forward, and brought my body flush against his.

"My place or yours?" He growled into my ear, and my body shuddered as his words turned my temperature up a few more degrees.

"How about the truck on the way there…and then your place?" My whisper was barely audible, but I felt his chest vibrate against me as he stifled a growl and his grip on my hips tightened. He had heard me just fine.

Before I could talk myself into pulling away from Jacob and making a run for the passenger side of my truck, his whole body tensed and the growl that came out of his mouth was anything but sensual—it was low and deadly. My already heightened senses went on red alert as they honed in on the threat.

Vampire.

Jake spun around so that I was behind him in less than a second, and both of our gazes watched as Bella pulled into the small hospital parking lot driving her red Ferrari F430. She slowly drove toward us before parking several spots away.

The hold Jacob had on me didn't loosen as Bella got out of her car and moved to approach us.

I squirmed against him. "Jake…you can let me go. I'm not going to kill her in public."

"I don't like you being this close to a leech."

_Oh. Wow_. Both Bella's and my eyes widened at Jake's underhanded comment toward his once best friend, but he managed to quickly recover.

"No offense, Bells, but I'm sure you of all people can understand the protectiveness I feel for Cassie."

Bella's eyes were wide, but she just gave a brief nod and spoke toward her high-heeled boots. "I just wanted to say goodbye, Jake…in person."

When she finally lifted her gaze, her expression was bleak and broken; for the briefest second, I almost felt empathic towards her. Almost. I inhaled her stench and growled out, "I'll wait in the truck. Take your time." I moved, so that I could kiss Jake behind his ear. "I'll be right here if you need me."

Out of spite, I slammed the passenger side door after I got in. _Ugh. _Shemade me want to scream and smash things, but who was I to be a complete bitch. They had history, and it wasn't Jake's fault that his friend from high school had chosen to become a vampire. She was the one with brain damage and delusions. Bella waited until I had both of my iPod ear buds in and Leah's screaming girl-power music turned up before she opened her mouth.

The music almost drowned them out, but I was sitting close enough that I couldn't completely tune out everything. Bella didn't really have much to say. It was all generic: she would always miss him, and she wished us the best, etc…Jake handled it better. Everything he said he meant and it came across as sincere—not awkward filler.

Finally, after seven and a half minutes, he gave her one final hug , before she got into her car and drove away. He stood outside and watched her car disappear down the street; once she was out of sight, he stripped his shirt off and gave it a brief sniff. Jake wrinkled his nose and tossed it into the bed of my truck, before climbing into the cab and starting the engine.

We drove toward the Rez in silence for several minutes before Jake spoke.

"I'm sorry about that."

I turned to look at him before replying. "It's okay…" He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Really, it is. I do _kinda _understand…but at least my ex wasn't a bloodsucker." I gave him a small smile, then reached across the center console to take his hand.

Jacob squeezed my hand. "If he had been, Cas, I would have ripped him apart on the spot—then burned his body in that fucking pretentious car of his."

I snorted. "Jeez. You're making me regret my tolerance and self-control back there."

He looked at me and brought my hand up, so he could kiss my fingers as his eyes focused back on the road. "Thank you for being patient with me and my past."

"You're welcome, but I think I'm going to add a Luau and roasted pig dinner to the things you owe me when you take me to Hawaii."

Jacob returned my smile. "That's fair."

* * *

The Cullens had been true to Bella's word—they were gone. Supposedly, they'd chosen to move to someplace in northern Europe. No one had been hired to replace Carlisle but he had left everything so organized that the hospital could get by for a while without finding someone new.

Jake had stayed true to his word, too, and several days after Billy had gotten back from his trip to see Rebecca in Hawaii, we had dinner. It couldn't have gone smoother. Billy had taken plenty of opportunities to relentlessly tease his son about his melodramatic lack of a love life.

Ever since Jacob phased, Billy had told him that I was out there waiting for him. He had just been too caught up in Bella to be open to the idea. Their fight had been about imprinting, and then I showed up and proved Jacob wrong. Billy seemed more disappointed he hadn't been at home to witness our imprint; it was always better, when you were there in person to see yourself win an argument.

Jake's dad was everything I had pictured, and I could see where my imprint had gotten some of his more endearing qualities. Billy was a good father and even though he had never phased himself, he exuded inner strength and confidence. It was no wonder the tribe still looked to him for guidance.

My inner musing had thoroughly woken me up , so I slowly turned over to glance at the bedside clock. It was a little past seven in the morning, but I was wide-awake and there was no way I could fall back asleep. Jacob's breathing was deep and even; he wouldn't be up for at least another hour—maybe even longer. He had been out late running patrol.

Rolling over, I raised my hand to gently brush some of his hair off his forehead—he looked so peaceful when he slept. I hadn't known him back when he had really long hair or the cares and worries he carried now, but I had seen him through the memories of the pack. When he slept he looked more like the younger carefree Jacob he once had been. It was no wonder Bella Swan had loved him—there was nothing not to love about Jacob Black.

I lay watching him dream for several minutes before working up the motivation to get out of the warm bed and leave him.

Even though he was still sleeping, when I planted a lingering kiss on his lips he tried to pull my body against his. Somehow, I managed to get out of the bed before his arms could close around me, and they snagged my pillow instead. Jake let out a small snore as I shut the bedroom door behind me.

The grin on my face didn't fade as I made my way down to the garage. My truck had been slightly neglected since coming to La Push, and it was long past due for an oil change.

Since it was the weekend, the garage was closed, so it was just me. There was no reason to use one of the vehicle lifts, and using the hydraulics would definitely wake Jake. Once my truck was jacked up and the jack stands were in place, I turned the radio on low and laid out all the stuff I would need. There wasn't any sound from upstairs to indicate Jake was up, so I grabbed a new oil filter and shimmied underneath my truck.

After my daily run with Leah, I jumped in the shower. Jake and Embry were going over the shop's paperwork as the bathroom door clicked behind me. Less than ten minutes later, I was done and towel-drying my hair. The conversation in the kitchen had grown hushed, so I paused to listen.

My twin was worked up about something, and his whispers were harsh and hurried. "I know she's your _imprint_! I'm not fucking stupid, but isn't this a bit fast? I mean, she's only been here a few months…"

"So? We'll be together forever—you know that. I just wanted to tell you in person beforehand. Sam already knows—Emily helped me out."

There was silence in the other room for several seconds.

Jake continued. "I'm not asking for your blessing. I just wanted to do this the best possible way, and you're her family, so I figured you'd like to know."

It was at that point that I made my entrance into the room, and found both guys sitting on the couch with the strangest looks on their faces. Embry was slightly flushed with his hands clenched into fists on his knees; Jake's mouth hung open and he looked guilty—as if I had just caught him with his hands in the forbidden cookie jar.

My eyebrows rose as the boys just sat and dumbly stared at me. "What were you guys talking about?"

Embry recovered the fastest, and after a brief glance at Jake he got a huge smile on his face. "Jake was just telling me that…"

Jake cut him off, as he stood up and hurriedly walked toward me. "I got us tickets to go to Hawaii." He glared over his shoulder at Embry, who had crossed his arms over his chest and looked pouty. "It was going to be a surprise."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth I released one of the most girly and excited squeals of my life and jumped into his arms.

"Really?"

He just spun me around and laughed. "Really."

* * *

At twilight, Hawaii was stunning. The water looked purple against the orange, pink, and blue sky, and the sound of the ocean gently pulling at the silver sand around us was something I never wanted to forget.

Closing my eyes, I leaned back into Jacob's warm chest. "This is so perfect, Jake. Thank you."

He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around me as we both lost ourselves in thought.

Jacob in his blue swim trunks coming out of the crystal water was one of the most gorgeous mental images he had ever given me. The clear beads of water dripping down his muscled chest were one of many visuals about this trip that I never wanted to lose.

I had heard that Hawaii was one of the most beautiful places on earth, but I hadn't believed that until I had stepped foot here. Everything about it was beautiful; the rainbows giving off brilliant colors in the sunlight, the many waterfalls, teal blue water, the colorful ocean reef, and the black volcanic rock silhouetted against the lush tropical landscape. This _was_ one of the most beautiful and dreamy places on earth, and I was experiencing it with Jacob. My perfect guy—who I was going to have all to myself for forever.

He had taken me to a Luau, complete with fire-dancing and a roasted pig dinner. One of the many upsides of being a werewolf on vacation was we never got full. We were able to enjoy anything and everything the local culture had to offer us food-wise.

Jacob had talked me into trying surfing, and I wasn't terrible at it. It had actually been kind of fun…until Jake had gotten jealous of the male surf instructor touching me and had almost caused a scene. I didn't finish my lesson, but I did manage to get Jake alone in our hotel room for the rest of the afternoon. Angry Jake was very attentive.

The bikini that Leah had bought for me was exquisite, and the emerald green against my skin looked amazing. Jake didn't seem to mind it, either. I never seemed to be in it for very long, and when I was, it was cute to see him growl at all the other boys whose gaze happened to linger on me for too long.

Rebecca and her husband had been excellent hosts, and their boys were adorable. It had surprised me how much Rachel and Rebecca looked alike; the only difference between them was their height. Rebecca had taken us on a tour of the main island attractions and offered to let us stay with them. It had been Jake that turned her down. He wanted our own space for the indoor activities he planned to incorporate into every day of our trip. His sister hadn't said much, but when she rolled her eyes and mumbled something about more grandkids for Billy, I knew my cheeks had turned pink.

"Cassie?" Jake's voice brought me out of my train of thought.

"Mmhm?" I turned my head so I could see the outline of his face in the quickly fading sunset.

He looked down at me and his eyes twinkled. "Can you stand up for me, please?"

My forehead wrinkled as I slowly got to my feet, brushing the sand off of my legs. Maybe he hadn't been as comfortable in that position as I was. We had been sitting here for a while.

I stretched my arms over my head as I looked out over the water. The sky had morphed into a bright pink and the sinking sun reflected a vibrant orange in the scattered clouds. It was beautiful.

"Cas?" I turned around to face him, expecting him to be standing, but he was on his knees in the sand behind me. _What was he doing?_

He chewed on his lip as if he were thinking about something, and I moved to kneel down in front of him, but he caught my hips.

His voice was gravelly and low. "You have to stay standing for this." Jacob's eyes searched my face, and the hand that was on my hip moved to catch my left hand in his.

I blinked back at him; he was acting nervous —I'd never seen Jake nervous. "What are you doing? Is everything okay?"

He had the nerve to chuckle, but it sounded almost forced. "Everything is perfect…" My eyes widened as they followed the movement of his hand into his short pocket.

Jacob had something in his hand.

My heartbeat quickened in my chest as my body figured out what was happening seconds before my brain caught up.

Jake's gaze held mine and I lost myself in his eyes. They were so full of love, desire, devotion, and hope; they smoldered as he locked his eyes onto mine.

"Cassandra Call, I've loved you with all of my heart and soul since the moment we met, and I couldn't live a day without you." His voice was clam and steady. "Will you marry me?"

My emotions threatened to bubble over. "Yes."

Jacob slipped the ring on my finger. The silver band fit perfectly and the white stone glittered in the fading sunlight.

I dropped to my knees in front of him, and pulled his face toward mine as my fingers tangled in his short hair. He opened his mouth against mine and gently brought my bottom lip in between his teeth. A growl vibrated in my chest, and his hands found their way to my hips.

He eventually pulled away from my mouth to kiss along my jaw and then down my neck, leaving a burning trail behind. I squirmed on top of him and it was his turn to growl. Our dark eyes met, and I reached behind my neck to untie the top of my swimsuit.

"We're the only two people out here, and I feel like celebrating."

Jake grinned at me, flashing his perfect white teeth before he laid back into the sand and pulled me down on top of him.

The End.

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AN:

They live happily-ever-after! Yeah! ;)

I hope everyone enjoyed my fic, and you know I'd love to hear your thoughts! If you review, I'll give you a sneak-peak at my upcoming outtake. For the rest of you, I'll be uploading my outtake (Jake/Cassie citrus) in about a week. It will be a separate OS on here so I don't have to increase my overall rating of this story -just fyi

Thank you to Lauren Lautner and my lovely fic wife, Leanne Golightly, for the beta and pre-read! You ladies are fantastic! *mwah*

Leanne, I wouldn't have made it this far without you!

*wolfy hugs* to everyone who has taken the time to read my writing! I value each and every one of your reads and comments! Thank you!


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